By By Stewart Edelstein

Copyright berkshireeagle

Even if you’re not a Swiftie, or don’t even know what a Swiftie is, you probably know about the Aug. 26 joint post by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce breaking Instagram records: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

Now that Swifties worldwide are abuzz that these two lovebirds are getting hitched, it’s a good occasion to explore words related to engagement and marriage.

“Engagement” originated in the 17th century with reference to a battle between armies, and not until the 18th century did it refer to entering into a promise to marry.

“En-“ is a common prefix meaning in, and “gage” means pledge. For instance, “mortgage” literally means a dead pledge, because the obligation to make mortgage payments “dies” when the debt is paid off. In Old French, “engagen” meant to pledge something as security for payment, and then “engagier” more generally meant to bind, by promise or oath, pledge or pawn.

The ultimate root for fiance and fiancee is, appropriately, Latin “fidus” meaning faithful, as in fiduciary, confident, confidential, hi-fi, fido and infidelity (see below). That led to the French words “fier,” to trust, and “fiance,” a promise. The additional last “e” is added to nouns in French to mark the feminine gender.

After being engaged, the happy couple is “betrothed,” a word based on Old English prefix “be-,” thoroughly (as in bedazzle, befuddle, and besmirch), and Old English “treowthe,” truth, a pledge. It is attested from the sixteenth century as a contract to give a woman in marriage to another.

The engaged couple can now look forward to their “nuptials,” from Latin “nuptialis,” pertaining to marriage, via French “nuptial.” Before the wedding, they may agree on a “prenup,” a word coined in the early 19th century but referring to a concept that dates back more than 2,000 years.

As one example of an ancient prenup, consider the “ketubah,” a marriage contract signed just before a Jewish wedding, detailing a husband’s financial and other obligations to his wife, even in the event of divorce or widowhood. The root of that Hebrew word is “katav,” to write.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce haven’t yet set the date for their wedding, a word from Old English “weddian” meaning to take a vow, to consecrate their marriage, from the Latin word “maritare,” to marry. Related is “mariachi,” Mexican Spanish for bands that often perform at wedding celebrations.

At their wedding, they may “pledge their troth,” an oath of faithfulness (“troth” is a variant of “truth”). Then they will be in the holy state of matrimony, a word based on Latin “mater,” mother, which Taylor Swift might be one day. “Mater” is the source of such words as matron, maternal, maternity, matriarch, matrix, matriculate and alma mater.

Not all wedded couples live happily ever after. In fact, almost half of marriages end in divorce. A frequent cause is adultery. “Adultery” is from two Latin words: “ad” (toward) and “alterare” (to alter).

Divorce lawyers have a legalistic way to describe an unfaithful spouse caught in the act: “in flagrante delicto.” Cartoonists have had a field day with such occurrences, including a memorable New Yorker cartoon by J.B. Handelsman. Picture a man in bed with a woman not his wife the moment his wife enters their bedroom. His explanation? “I am forsaking all others, but these things take time.” The humor is in the contrast between the marital oath (“pledge my troth”) and the husband’s unfaithfulness.

Here’s hoping that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have a long, loving marriage, fodder for many more Swiftian bestselling autobiographical lyrics for even more megahits.