Nearby Words
noun
1.
either member of a married pair in relation to the other; one's husband or wife.
verb (used with object)
2.
Obsolete. to join, give, or take in marriage.
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Spouses
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Origin:
1150–1200; (noun) Middle English < Old French spous (masculine), spouse (feminine) (aphetic for espous, espouse) < Latin spōnsus, spōnsa literally, pledged (man, woman) (noun uses of past participle of spondēre to pledge), equivalent to spond- verb stem + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (v.) Middle English spousen < Old French esp(o)user; compare espouse
1150–1200; (noun) Middle English < Old French spous (masculine), spouse (feminine) (aphetic for espous, espouse) < Latin spōnsus, spōnsa literally, pledged (man, woman) (noun uses of past participle of spondēre to pledge), equivalent to spond- verb stem + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (v.) Middle English spousen < Old French esp(o)user; compare espouse
Related forms
spouse·hood, noun
spouse·less, adjective
un·spoused, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To spouses
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
spouse
c.1200, "a married woman in relation to her husband" (also of men), from O.Fr. spus (fem. spuse), from L. sponsus "bridegroom" (fem. sponsa "bride"), from masc. and fem. pp. of spondere "to bind oneself, promise solemnly," from PIE *spend- "to make an offering, perform a rite" (see
EXPAND spondee). Spouse-breach (early 13c.) was an old name for "adultery."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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