engage
pronunciation
How to pronounce engage in British English:
UK [ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ]
How to pronounce engage in American English:
US [ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ]
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- Verb:
- carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
- engage or engross wholly
- engage or hire for work
- ask to represent; of legal counsel
- give to in marriage
- get caught
- as of wars, battles, or campaigns
- as of aid, help, services, or support
- engage for service under a term of contract
- keep engaged
Word Origin
- engage
- engage: [15] Vulgar Latin had a noun *wadium ‘pledge’ (it came from Germanic *wathjam, source also of English wed and wage). From it was derived a verb *wadiāre ‘pledge’, which formed the basis of a compound *inwadiāre. Germanic w became g in French (hence French Guillaume for William), so the Old French descendant of *inwadiāre was engager, acquired by English as engage. (The superficially similar gauge [15] is probably not related, although it is not known for certain what its ultimate source is.)=> wage, wed
- engage (v.)
- early 15c., "to pledge" (something, as security for payment), from Old French engagier "bind (by promise or oath), pledge; pawn" (12c.), from phrase en gage "under pledge," from en "in" (see en- (1)) + gage "pledge," through Frankish from Proto-Germanic *wadiare "pledge" (see wed). It shows the common evolution of Germanic -w- to central French -g- (see gu-). Meaning "attract and occupy the attention of" is from 1640s; that of "employ, secure for aid, employment or use" is from 1640s, from notion of "binding as by a pledge;" meaning "enter into combat or contest with" is from 1640s. Specific sense of "promise to marry" is 1610s (implied in engaged). Machinery sense is from 1884. Also from the French word are German engagiren, Dutch engageren, Danish engagere.
Example
- 1. New parties should have time to organise and engage .
- 2. China 's trading partners have to engage with the rising giant .
- 3. It helped that myanmar 's ruling generals really wanted to engage .
- 4. Stories , cartoons , dialogues and practical tasks all engage the student on a personal level .
- 5. Entrepreneurs induced by artificially low interest rates engage in new investment projects that the lower interest rates suddenly make look profitable .