pledge
pronunciation
How to pronounce pledge in British English:
UK [pledʒ]
How to pronounce pledge in American English:
US [pledʒ]
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- Noun:
- a deposit of personal property as security for a debt
- someone accepted for membership but not yet fully admitted to the group
- a drink in honor of or to the health of a person or event
- a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something
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- Verb:
- promise solemnly and formally
- pay (an amount of money) as a contribution to a charity or service, especially at regular intervals
- propose a toast to
- give as a guarantee
- bind or secure by a pledge
Word Origin
- pledge
- pledge: [14] Pledge comes via Old French plege from late Latin plebium, a derivative of the verb plebīre ‘pledge’. This was probably borrowed from Frankish *plegan ‘guarantee’, a derivative of the same Germanic base as produced English plight ‘pledge’ [OE] (as in ‘plight one’s troth’) and German pflicht ‘duty’.=> plight
- pledge (v.)
- c. 1400, "to promise" (something to someone), "to give over as security for repayment," also "promise faith to," from pledge (n.) and from Old French plegier, from plege (n.). From mid-15c. as "to stand surety for, be responsible for;" late 15c. as "to mortgage." Meaning "put (someone) under oath" is from 1570s; sense of "to solemnly promise or guarantee" is from 1590s, as is sense "to drink a toast." Related: Pledged; pledging.
- pledge (n.)
- mid-14c., "surety, bail," from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) "hostage, security, bail," probably from Frankish *plegan "to guarantee," from *pleg-, a West Germanic root meaning "have responsibility for" (cognates: Old Saxon plegan "vouch for," Middle Dutch plien "to answer for, guarantee," Old High German pflegan "to care for, be accustomed to," Old English pleon "to risk the loss of, expose to danger;" see plight (v.)). Meaning "allegiance vow attested by drinking with another" is from 1630s. Sense of "solemn promise" first recorded 1814, though this notion is from 16c. in the verb. Weekley notes the "curious contradiction" in pledge (v.) "to toast with a drink" (1540s) and pledge (n.) "the vow to abstain from drinking" (1833). Meaning "student who has agreed to join a fraternity or sorority" dates from 1901.
Antonym
Example
- 1. And some see the giving pledge as a packaging stunt .
- 2. The pledge has now been ditched-at least by the party 's leadership .
- 3. That pledge does not seem to extend to refugees .
- 4. Likewise thereare many today who pledge allegiance to jesus .
- 5. He further disappointed them by his failure , or inability , to fulfil his campaign pledge to distribute land .