affiance

[uh-fahy-uh ns]

See more synonyms for affiance on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), af·fi·anced, af·fi·anc·ing.

to pledge by promise of marriage; betroth.

noun Archaic.

a pledging of faith, as a marriage contract.
trust; confidence; reliance.

Origin of affiance

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French afiance, equivalent to afi(er) to pledge faith, declare on oath, betroth (< Medieval Latin affīdāre, equivalent to ad- ad- + *fīdāre, for Latin fīdere to trust; see confide) + -ance -ance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for affiance

pact, word, pledge, commitment, agreement, vow, obligation, assurance, guarantee, oath, assertion, affirm, agree, assure, ensure, commit, declare, catch, undertake, warranty

Examples from the Web for affiance

Historical Examples of affiance

In the words of the old church-service, "Her soul must ever have affiance in God."
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 77, March, 1864
Various
Thus he pledged his faith, and the Duke accepted his affiance.
French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France
Marie de France
Their notion of the real meaning of the period of affiance commended itself entirely to his lofty sentiments.
Kophetua the Thirteenth
Julian Corbett
The young Duke of Hamilton was, however, the successful one; and the pledge of affiance passed mutually.
The Memorials of the Hamlet of Knightsbridge
Henry George Davis
Jealousy and distrust are the bane of friendship, whose essence is esteem and affiance.
Letters on the Improvement of the Mind
Hester Chapone

British Dictionary definitions for affiance

affiance

verb

(tr) to bind (a person or oneself) in a promise of marriage; betroth

noun

archaic a solemn pledge, esp a marriage contract

Word Origin for affiance

C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin affīdāre to trust (oneself) to, from fīdāre to trust, from fīdus faithful

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for affiance

1520s, "to promise," from Old French afiancier "to pledge, promise, give one's word," from afiance (n.) "confidence, trust," from afier "to trust," from Late Latin affidare, from ad- "to" (see ad-) + fidare "to trust," from fidus (see affidavit). From mid-16c. especially "to promise in marriage." Related: Affianced; affiancing.