This noun denotes the betrothal period, that special time between engagement and marriage. It appears in Jeremiah 2:2, where God reminisces through the prophet about Israel's 'betrothal-time' in the wilderness—a metaphor for the early, devoted relationship between Yahweh and his people after the Exodus. The word is parallel to 'the days of your youth,' emphasizing the freshness and fidelity of that initial covenant relationship. Betrothal in ancient Israel was a legally binding commitment, not merely an engagement as moderns might understand it.