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Promises, Promises: The History of Affidavit, Affiance, & Fiancé
Affidavit refers to a written promise, and its Latin roots connect it to another kind of promise in English. It comes from a past tense form of the Latin verb affidare, meaning “to pledge”; in Latin, affidavit translates to “he or she has made a pledge.”
Affidare is also the root of affiance, an archaic English noun meaning “trust, faith, confidence,” “marriage contract or promise,” or a meaning that has completely fallen from use, “close or intimate relationship.” More familiar to modern English speakers is the verb affiance, meaning “to promise in marriage” or “to betroth.” It usually appears as a fancy-sounding participial adjective:
I like to give affianced friends a copy of Rebecca Mead’s book “One Perfect Day,” which exposes the ridiculous wedding industry.
—Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist, 7 October 2014
Affiance came through French to English in the 14th century, and, nearly 500 years later, the related French words fiancé and fiancée were added to English. Etymologically speaking, a fiancé or fiancée is a “promised one.”
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Fiancé or fiancée?
People may well be anxious, when referring to their betrothed, to make sure that they use the correct term. So the fact that fiancé and fiancée are pronounced exactly the same may cause some degree of worry and uncertainty. These two words are borrowed directly from French, in which language they have equivalent but gendered meanings: fiancé refers to a man who is engaged to be married, and fiancée refers to a woman. We have, as of this date, no evidence suggesting that the meaning of either word is affected by the gender of the person to whom the fiancé or fiancée is engaged.
Examples of fiancée in a Sentence
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Take Gabby Petito – a 23-year-old, white woman who was abducted and tragically murdered by her fiancee Brian Laundrie in 2021.
—Natalie Wilson and Derrica Wilson, Essence, 30 Oct. 2024
His fiancee, parents and brothers were seated together in the front row.
—Mackenzie Sigalos,dawn Giel, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
Besides his son, Morse is survived by his fiancee, Jessa, and a sister, Cindy Carbeau.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024
If his response is vague, inquire as to whether his fiancee doesn’t want you around.
—Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2024
Bost and his fiancee, like many others, didn't expect the extent of the impacts.
—Katie Peralta Soloff, Axios, 1 Oct. 2024
Possibly as the result of an Instagram post from his fiancee geotagging them at the restaurant, he was targeted by Trone and another defendant, Tremont Jones, prosecutors alleged.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024
The horrifying injustice of his fiancee’s death, murdered on the day of their wedding, left him understandably traumatized.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near fiancée
Cite this Entry
“Fiancée.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fianc%C3%A9e. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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fiancée
noun
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