A betrothal or engagement ceremony; an old-fashioned term for the formal agreement to marry.
From French 'fiançailles,' derived from 'fiancer' meaning 'to betroth,' which comes from Latin 'fidare' (to trust). The plural form reflects French grammar, where this word is often used in the plural. It entered English through French cultural and legal influence.
'Fiançailles' shows how the French language has a separate, more formal word for the ceremony of engagement—in English, we just say 'engagement,' but French preserves this distinction in a word that sounds almost like poetry.
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