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ay. To drink to, to salute in drinking; to wish well to, in the act of taking the cup; to pledge in drinking. I drink to the general joy of the whole table, And to our dear friend Banquo. Shak.

Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come. Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Cor. i. 22. And from his coffers Received the golden earnest of our death. Shak.

To put in pawn; to pledge; to impawn. To sell, empawn, and alienate the estates. Milman.

To put under pledge; to pledge; to place under obligations to do or forbear doing something, as by a pledge, oath, or promise; to bind by contract or promise. "I to thee engaged a prince's word." Shak.

Pledged; promised; especially, having the affections pledged; promised in marriage; affianced; betrothed.

The state of being engaged, pledged or occupied; specif., a pledge to take some one as husband or wife.

Evangel. [Obs.] The sacred pledge of Christ's evangely. Spenser.

Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity; as, he violated his faith. For you alone I broke me faith with injured Palamon. Dryden.

The pledge and tithing, afterwards called by the Normans frankpledge. See Frankpledge. [Written also friburgh and fribourg.] Burril.

nue for the payment of the interest of; to make permanent provision of resources (as by a pledge of revenue from customs) for discharging the interest of or principal of; as, to fund government notes.

A pledge or pawn; something laid down or given as a security for the performance of some act by the person depositing it, and forfeited by nonperformance; security. Nor without gages to the needy lend. Sandys.

A pledge. [Obs.] Bp. Gibson.

To pledge; as, to give one's word.

To pledge by the hand; to handfast. [R.]

To pledge; to bind; to betroth by joining hands, in order to cohabitation, before the celebration of marriage. [Obs.]

In a handfast or publicly pledged manner. [Obs.] Holinshed.

The chief of a frankpledge, tithing, or decennary, consisting of ten families; -- called also borsholder, boroughhead, boroughholder, and sometimes tithingman. See Borsholder. [Eng.] Blackstone.

ose duty it is to attend the queen when she appears in public. -- On one's honor, on the pledge of one's honor; as, the members of the House of Lords in Great Britain, are not under oath, but give their statements or verdicts on their honor. -- Point of honor, a scruple or nice distinction in matters affecting one's…

A person given as a pledge or security for the performance of the conditions of a treaty or stipulations of any kind, on the performance of which the person is to be released. Your hostages I have, so have you mine; And we shall talk before we fight. Shak. He that hath a wife and children hath given hostages to fortune…

iability for a debt or engagement without delivery of possession or transfer of title; to pledge without delivery of possession; to mortgage, as ships, or other personal property; to make a contract by bottomry. See Hypothecation, Bottomry. He had found the treasury empty and the pay of the navy in arrear. He had no po…