spouse
/spaʊ̯s/ noun, verb
Forms spouses spousing spoused
- noun A person in a marriage or marital relationship. “People should treat their spouses with respect.”
- verb (dated) To wed; to espouse.
Synonyms
better half consort helpmate helpmeet mate other half partner spousy wedder married person
Etymology
From Middle English spous, spouse, from Anglo-Norman espus m, espuse f and Old French espos m, espose f and by aphesis from Latin spōnsus m (“bridegroom”), spōnsa f (“bride”), from spondeō (“to vow, pledge”), from Proto-Indo-European *spend-. Displaced native Old English ġemaca.
Related to espouse and sponsor.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A man or woman engaged or joined in wedlock; a married person, husband or wife.
- noun A married man, in distinct from a spousess or married woman; a bridegroom or husband. [Obs.]
- verb To wed; to espouse. [Obs.]
Etymology [OF. espous, espos, fem. espouse, F. époux, épouse, fr. L. sponsus, sponsa, prop. p.p. of spondere, sponsum, to promise solemnly, to engage one's self. Cf. Despond, Espouse, respond, Sponsor.]
Etymology [See Espouse, and Spouse, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “spouse”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details