fiancé

noun

fi·​an·​cé ˌfē-ˌän-ˈsā 

fē-ˈän-ˌsā

: a man engaged to be married

Did you know?

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.”

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms

• betrothed
• fiancée
• intended

Examples of fiancé in a Sentence

Let me introduce my fiancé.

couldn't wait to show off her fiancé to all of her relatives

Recent Examples on the Web

But it’s become more difficult to make ends meet, even though West and her fiance, Ben, both have solid incomes. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024

Meanwhile, Taleo, her fiance, soon to be husband, and days before their wedding sits by her side, his eyes reflecting with pride and adoration. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 1 Aug. 2024

Dear Amy: My fiance and I are planning our wedding. —Amy Dickinson, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2024

Your fiance is making a bad move by pressuring you in this way. —Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024

Your fiance’s job is not to support you regardless of how dumb your ideas are. —Amy Dickinson, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2024

Is my fiance’s lack of support a red flag? – Silence is Golden Silence: Congratulations! —Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 26 June 2024

Charles Russo for Stanford University In 1941, on the eve of the United States' direct involvement in World War II, and as her fiance was preparing to be called to serve, Hislop skipped out on the thesis. —Dennis Romero, NBC News, 19 June 2024

There were more than a few roadblocks — Danielle’s fiance, for one, who continued to live with her until May 2022. —Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from past participle of fiancer to promise, betroth, from Old French fiancier, from fiance promise, trust, from fier to trust, from Vulgar Latin *fidare, alteration of Latin fidere — more at bide

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fiancé

noun

fi·​an·​cé ˌfē-ˌän-ˈsā 

fē-ˈän-ˌsā

: a man engaged to be married

Etymology

from French fiancé "man engaged to be married," derived from early French fiancé, past participle of fiancer "to promise," derived from Latin fidere "to trust" — related to faith