Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "engage" come from? It comes from Frankish wadi, passing through Old French before entering English (1500s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "engage" come from? It comes from Frankish wadi, passing through Old French before entering English (1500s).
Engage’s story begins in Frankish: wadi meant “pledge.” A Frankish word related to 'wage' and 'wed'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as engagier. 'en-' plus 'gage', a pledge. It reached English by 1500s as engage. 'engaged' to marry dates from the 1600s. Today, engage means to occupy; to promise; to hire.
- Stage 1 · Frankish · ancient wadi "pledge", a Frankish word related to 'wage' and 'wed'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval engagier "to pledge", 'en-' plus 'gage', a pledge.
- Stage 3 · English · 1500s engage "to pledge", 'engaged' to marry dates from the 1600s.