pledge

C1 Topic:Register & Style

US /plɛd͡ʒ/ See IPA manual

Freq #6377

Meanings

1

noun
A serious, formal promise to do something.

The government made a pledge to cut carbon emissions.
2

verb
To promise solemnly and formally to do something.

She pledged to support the charity for life.
3

verb
To promise to give money, especially to a charity.

I pledged ten dollars a month to my favorite radio station.
4

noun
Something left with someone as security for a debt.

He left his watch as a pledge until he could repay the loan.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a serious, formal promise... commitment undertaking

2 verb · to promise solemnly and... undertake

3 verb · to promise to give money,... subscribe

Word family

Forms pledgedpledgespledging

Derived forms antipledgeantipledgingdepledgefrankpledgeimpledgeinterpledgemispledgepledgablepledgeabilitypledgeepledgelesspledgeling

Related forms oath vow

Simplified etymology

Pledge entered English in the Middle English period and is probably a distant relative of plight in its sense “promise solemnly.” The supplied passage does not establish the precise historical route connecting the two words.

Etymology

From Middle English plege, from Anglo-Norman plege, from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) from Medieval Latin plevium, plebium, from plebiō (“to pledge”), from Frankish *plehan (“to pledge; to support; to guarantee”). Akin to Old High German pflegan (“to take care of, be accustomed to”), Old Saxon plegan (“to vouch for”), Old English plēon (“to risk, endanger”). More at plight.

plege Middle English plevium la-med *plehan Proto-West Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

External links

# pledge

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /plɛd͡ʒ/
**Frequency rank:** 6377

## Meanings
1. A serious, formal promise to do something.
2. To promise solemnly and formally to do something.
3. To promise to give money, especially to a charity.
4. Something left with someone as security for a debt.

## Examples
- The government made a pledge to cut carbon emissions.
- She pledged to support the charity for life.
- I pledged ten dollars a month to my favorite radio station.
- He left his watch as a pledge until he could repay the loan.

## Derived Forms
- antipledge
- antipledging
- depledge
- frankpledge
- impledge
- interpledge
- mispledge
- pledgable
- pledgeability
- pledgee
- pledgeless
- pledgeling

## Related Forms
- oath
- vow

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: plege
- Root: plevium
- Root: *plehan

## Etymology
From Middle English plege, from Anglo-Norman plege, from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) from Medieval Latin plevium, plebium, from plebiō (“to pledge”), from Frankish *plehan (“to pledge; to support; to guarantee”). Akin to Old High German pflegan (“to take care of, be accustomed to”), Old Saxon plegan (“to vouch for”), Old English plēon (“to risk, endanger”). More at plight.

## AI Etymology
Pledge comes from Middle English plege, from Anglo-Norman plege, from Old French plege (Modern French pleige) from Medieval Latin plevium, plebium, from plebiō (“to pledge”), from Frankish *plehan (“to pledge; to support; to guarantee”). Akin to Old High German pflegan (“to take care of, be accustomed to”), Old Saxon plegan (“to vouch for”), Old English plēon (“to risk, endanger”). More at plight. The historical chain includes plege (Middle English), plege (Anglo-Norman), plege (Old French), plevium (Medieval Latin), and *plehan (Frankish). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as antipledge, antipledging, depledge, and frankpledge and related forms such as oath and vow. In present use it covers a serious, formal promise to do something, to promise solemnly and formally to do something, and to promise to give money, especially to a charity.

## Topics
- Register & Style
- General Vocabulary

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