betroth

This term carries a heavy weight of formality and tradition, often evoking historical or aristocratic settings where marriages were arranged by parents or guardians rather than by the couple themselves. It describes a binding legal or social contract rather than a romantic agreement. In modern usage, the word is rare and typically appears in literary or historical contexts. It differs from engage in that it emphasizes the external act of promising a person to another, often implying a lack of agency for the individuals being betrothed.