US /spaʊ̯s/
noun verb Freq #12547

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A husband or wife.

    You should always treat your spouse with respect.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a husband or wife. partnermatebetter halfconsort
Word family
Forms spouses

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.

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Topics

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