n.
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English ernes, ernest, from Anglo-French arres, erres, plural of erre earnest, from Latin arra, short for arrabo, from Greek arrhab ō n, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew ' ē r ā bh ō n pledge
Date: 13th century
1 : something of value given by a buyer to a seller to bind a bargain
2 : a token of what is to come : PLEDGE