# spouse

Pronunciation: say "SPOWS" /spaʊ̯s/

## Noun

1. A married person regarded in relation to their partner; the husband or wife in a marriage.
   - Simple: A husband or wife: the person someone is married to.
   - _She named her spouse as the primary beneficiary on the insurance policy._
   - _Many couples open a joint account once they become spouses._

## Verb

2. To marry; to join with another person as husband or wife. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To marry someone, becoming their husband or wife.

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English spous, borrowed via Anglo-Norman and Old French forms from Latin spōnsus ("bridegroom") and spōnsa ("bride"). These came from spondeō ("I vow, pledge"), from Proto-Indo-European *spend-. It replaced the native Old English ġemaca and is related to espouse and sponsor.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/spouse (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).