FromMiddle Frenchaffiance, fromaffier (fromMedieval Latinaffīdāre, from*fīdāre, fromLatinfīdere) +-ance.
affiance (third-person singular simple presentaffiances,present participleaffiancing,simple past and past participleaffianced)
- (transitive) To bebetrothed to; topromise tomarry.
1935 April,William Faulkner, “Skirmish at Sartoris”, inThe Unvanquished, New York, N.Y.:Random House, published1938,→OCLC; republished inThe Unvanquished: The Corrected Text, New York, N.Y.:Vintage Books, October 1991,→ISBN, section 1,page189:[S]he had expected the worst ever since Drusilla had deliberately tried to unsex herself by refusing to feel any natural grief at the death in battle not only of heraffianced husband but of her own father [...]
affiance (pluralaffiances)
- Faith,trust.
1485,Thomas Malory,Le Morte Darthur Book XXI, Chapter ii,leaf 421r:[…]in syr Launcelot & you I moost had my Ioye / & mynaffyaunce / & now haue I lost my Ioye of you bothe[…]
[…] "in Sir Launcelot and you I most had my joy, and mineaffiance, and now have I lost my joy of you both"[…]
1603,Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, inJohn Florio, transl.,The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes forEdward Blount […],→OCLC:All other outward shewes and exterior apparences are common to all religions: As hope,affiance[translatingconfiance], events, ceremonies, penitence and martyrdome.
1849,James Stephen,Essays in Ecclesiastical Biography:Such feelings promptly yielded to his habitualaffiance in the divine love.
1859,Alfred Tennyson, “Elaine”, inIdylls of the King, London:Edward Moxon & Co., […],→OCLC,page218:Lancelot, my Lancelot, thou in whom I have / Most joy and mostaffiance,[…]
- (archaic) Asolemnengagement, especially a pledge ofmarriage.
FromOld Frenchafiance, fromafier(“to promise”) +-ance.
affiance f (pluralaffiances)
- promise (verbal guarantee)
- affiance onDictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)
