Hypertext Webster Gateway: "engaged"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Engage \En*gage"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Engaged}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Engaging}.] [F. engager; pref. en- (L. in) + gage pledge,
pawn. See {Gage}.]
1. 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.
2. To gain for service; to bring in as associate or aid; to
enlist; as, to engage friends to aid in a cause; to engage
men for service.
3. To gain over; to win and attach; to attract and hold; to
draw.
Good nature engages everybody to him. --Addison.
4. To employ the attention and efforts of; to occupy; to
engross; to draw on.
Thus shall mankind his guardian care engage. --Pope.
Taking upon himself the difficult task of engaging
him in conversation. --Hawthorne.
5. To enter into contest with; to encounter; to bring to
conflict.
A favorable opportunity of engaging the enemy.
--Ludlow.
6. (Mach.) To come into gear with; as, the teeth of one
cogwheel engage those of another, or one part of a clutch
engages the other part.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Engaged \En*gaged"\, a.
1. Occupied; employed; busy.
2. Pledged; promised; especially, having the affections
pledged; promised in marriage; affianced; betrothed.
3. Greatly interested; of awakened zeal; earnest.
4. Involved; esp., involved in a hostile encounter; as, the
engaged ships continued the fight.
{Engaged column}. (Arch.) Same as {Attached column}. See
under {Attach}, v. t.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
engaged
adj 1: having ones attention or mind or energy engaged; "she keeps
herself fully occupied with volunteer activities";
"deeply engaged in conversation" [syn: {occupied}]
2: involved in military hostilities; "the desperately engaged
ships continued the fight"
3: reserved in advance [syn: {booked}, {set-aside(p)}]
4: (of facilities such as telephones or lavatories) unavailable
for use by anyone else or indicating unavailability;
(`engaged' is a British term for a busy telephone line);
"her line is busy"; "receptionists' telephones are always
engaged"; "the lavatory is in use"; "kept getting a busy
signal" [syn: {busy}, {in use(p)}]
5: (used of toothed parts or gears) interlocked and
interacting; "the gears are engaged"; "meshed gears";
"intermeshed twin rotors" [syn: {meshed}, {intermeshed}]
6: having services contracted for; "the carpenter engaged (or
employed) for the job is sick"
7: (architecture) built against or attached to a wall; "engaged
columns"
8: pledged to be married; "the engaged couple" [syn: {affianced},
{bespoken}, {betrothed}, {pledged}]
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