Adjacent Words

Spouse definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SPOUSE, n. [L., to engage.] One engaged or joined in wedlock; a married person, husband or wife. We say of a man, that he is the spouse of such a woman; or of a woman, she is the spouse of such a man.
SPOUSE, v.t. To wed; to espouse. [Little used. See Espouse.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a person's partner in marriage [syn: spouse, partner, married person, mate, better half]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French espus (masculine) & espuse (feminine), from Latin sponsus betrothed man, groom & sponsa betrothed woman, bride, both from sponsus, past participle of spond?re to promise, betroth; akin to Greek spendein to pour a libation, Hittite šipant- Date: 13th century married person ; husband, wife • spousal adjective II. transitive verb (spoused; spousing) Date: 13th century archaic wed

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a husband or wife. Etymology: ME spus(e) f. OF sp(o)us (masc.), sp(o)use (fem.), vars. of espous(e) f. L sponsus sponsa past part. of spondere betroth

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spouse Spouse, v. t. [See Espouse, and Spouse, n.] To wed; to espouse. [Obs.] This markis hath her spoused with a ring. --Chaucer. Though spoused, yet wanting wedlock's solemnize. --Spenser. She was found again, and spoused to Marinell. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spouse Spouse, n. [OF. espous, espos, fem. espouse, F. ['e]poux, ['e]pouse, fr. L. sponsus, sponsa, prop. p. p. of spondere, sponsum, to promise solemnly, to engage one's self. Cf. Despond, Espouse, respond, Sponsor.] 1. A man or woman engaged or joined in wedlock; a married person, husband or wife. At last such grace I found, and means I wrought, That that lady to my spouse had won. --Spenser. 2. A married man, in distinct from a spousess or married woman; a bridegroom or husband. [Obs.] At which marriage was [were] no person present but the spouse, the spousess, the Duchess of Bedford her mother, the priest, two gentlewomen, and a young man. --Fabyan.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(spouses) Someone's spouse is the person they are married to. N-COUNT

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Cant. 4:8-12; Hos. 4:13, 14) may denote either husband or wife, but in the Scriptures it denotes only the latter.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

spouz (kallah, "bride," "daughter-in-law"): the Revised Version (British and American) gives "bride" for the King James Version "spouse" in So 4:8 ff, and "brides" for "spouses" in Ho 4:13 f (margin "daughters-in-law").

See ESPOUSAL; MARRIAGE; RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Husband or wife, married person, consort, mate, partner, companion.