fiancée

noun

fi·​an·​cée ˌfē-ˌän-ˈsā How to pronounce fiancée (audio)
fē-ˈän-ˌsā
: a woman 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.

Examples of fiancée in a Sentence

My fiancée and I will be married in June. his fiancée is insisting on an elaborate wedding
Recent Examples on the Web Thomas’ fiancee disputed that account, telling a local TV station that Thomas had refused to let deputies enter the house and was turning away from them when Shelton shot him. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024 Jennings’ fiancee, with their son still in her backseat, got out of the car and moved to her boyfriend after the shooting. Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2024 That day, Cantu was in Arkansas, visiting his fiancee’s family. Albinson Linares, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 Dear Amy: My wonderful fiancee and I are getting married in two months. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024 We first were introduced to Clay’s mom—whose real name is Margarita—in episode nine of season six, when Clay Gravesande introduced his new fiancee, AD Smith, to Margarita and his sister, Taylor. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2024 Of course now Bezos and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez have moved to sunnier climes, that near-$600 million stays clear of the tax man. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024 An Ohio man was found guilty of murder in the shooting death of his fiancee, according to news outlets. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 The man said his fiancee and parents were inside the home, officials said. The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fiancée.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, feminine of fiancé — see fiancé

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiancée was in 1835

Dictionary Entries Near fiancée

Cite this Entry

“Fiancée.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fianc%C3%A9e. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

fiancée

noun
fi·​an·​cée ˌfē-ˌän-ˈsā How to pronounce fiancée (audio)
fē-ˈän-ˌsā
: a woman engaged to be married
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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