Spouse

How to spell spouse

6 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce spouse

What does spouse mean?

1. nounA person's husband or wife, considered in relation to their partner.

Spouse in a sentence

• The form asks for the name of your spouse and any dependants.

• Each employee may add a spouse to the company health plan.

Where does spouse come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin sponsus, meaning 'a betrothed man' or 'bridegroom', with its feminine partner sponsa meaning 'bride'. Both came from the verb spondere, which literally meant 'to pledge' or 'to promise solemnly', because marriage was understood as a binding promise between two people. English took the word in the early 1200s through Old French espous and espouse, gradually trimming the opening 'e' to leave the modern 'spouse'. The very same spondere root gives us 'sponsor', 'respond' and 'correspond', all of which carry that old sense of giving a pledge or answer. The spelling trap is hearing the word rhyme with 'house' yet writing 'ou' followed by a soft 'se' rather than the more obvious 'ow'.

How the word is built

• spous- (from Latin sponsus, one pledged in marriage)
• -e