English

Noun

engager ‎(plural engagers)

1. One who, or that which, engages.

   engagers in conflicts

2. One who enters into an engagement or agreement; a surety.

   Several sufficient citizens were engagers. — Wood.

French

Etymology

From Middle French, from Old French engagier ‎(“to pawn, make a pledge, plight”), from en- + gage ‎(“pledge”), from Late Latin vadium ‎(“pledge”), from Frankish *wadja ‎(“pledge”), from Proto-Germanic *wadjō, *wadją ‎(“pledge, guarantee”), from Proto-Indo-European *wadh- ‎(“guarantee, bail”). Cognate with Middle Dutch wedde ‎(“property, pay”), Old High German wetti ‎(“collateral, security agreement”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌳𐌹 ‎(wadi), 𐍅𐌰𐌳𐌾𐌰 ‎(wadja, “guarantee”), Old English wedd ‎(“pledge, vow”). More at wed.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃ɡaʒe/

Verb

engager

1. to pledge, commit
2. to hire, sign, snap up
3. to involve
4. to encourage
5. to pawn
6. (military) to enlist

Conjugation

This is a regular -er verb, but the stem is written engage- before endings that begin with -a- or -o- (to indicate that the -g- is a “soft” /ʒ/ and not a “hard” /ɡ/). This spelling-change occurs in all verbs in -ger, such as neiger and manger.

Derived terms

• engagement
• engagiste

Descendants

• → Italian: ingaggiare

Anagrams

• regagne, regagné

Old French

Verb

engager

1. Alternative form of engagier

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. In the present tense an extra supporting e is needed in the first-person singular indicative and throughout the singular subjunctive, and the third-person singular subjunctive ending -t is lost. In addition, g becomes j before an a or an o to keep the /dʒ/ sound intact. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.