troth
UK /tɹəʊθ/ · US /tɹoʊθ/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms troths trothing trothed
- noun (countable, archaic) An oath, pledge, plight, or promise.
- noun (countable, archaic) A pledge or promise to marry someone.
- noun (countable, archaic) The state of being thus pledged; betrothal, engagement.
- noun (countable, uncountable, archaic) Truth; something true.
- verb (obsolete) To pledge to marry somebody.
- proper noun A surname transferred from the nickname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English troth, trothe, trouthe, trowthe, a variant of treuth, treuthe, treouthe (“allegiance, fidelity, faithfulness, loyalty; oath, pledge, promise; betrothal or marriage vow; betrothal; honour, integrity; holiness, righteousness; confidence, trust; creed, faith; fact, reality, truth”), from Old English trēowþ, trīewþ (“truth, veracity; faith, fidelity; covenant, pledge”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiþō (“contract; promise”), equivalent to true + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Doublet of truth.
From troth, a nickname for someone who was inclined to take oaths.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [A variant of truth. See Truth.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “troth”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details