Where does “engagement” come from?
Engagement comes from French engagement, formed from French engage plus the suffix French -ment, which derives from Old French -ment, ultimately from Latin -mentum, a nominal suffix from Latin in meaning "not."
engagement (English): An appointment, especially to speak or perform;...
Definitions
- An appointment, especially to speak or perform;...
Ancestry of “engagement”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | engagement | commitment; engagement |
| 2 | French | engager | to pledge, commit; to hire, sign, snap up; to... |
| 3 | Old French | engagier | to use as a guarantee |
| 4 | Old French | gage | wage; payment |
| 5 | Frankish | waddī | — |
| 6 | Latin | wadium | pledge; legal contract; marriage contract |
| 7 | Frankish | wadi | wager, stake, pledge |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | wadją | wager, stake, pledge |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wedʰ- | to bind, to secure; to pledge, to guarantee; to... |