Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A marriage partner; a husband or wife.
- v. Archaic To marry; wed.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A married person, husband or wife; either one of a married pair.
- To take for a husband or a wife; wed; espouse.
- To give in marriage.
Wiktionary
- n. A person's husband or wife; a husband's wife or wife's husband is his or her spouse, respectively.
- v. to wed, to espouse
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A man or woman engaged or joined in wedlock; a married person, husband or wife.
- n. A married man, in distinction from a
spousess ormarried woman ; a bridegroom or husband. - v. To wed; to espouse.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a person's partner in marriage
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old French spous, from Latin spōnsus, from past participle of spondēre, to pledge; see spend- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“The term spouse is applied to married people until their marriage is consummated”
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 5: Diocese-Fathers of Mercy
“The new marriage licenses - which add the term spouse - will be distributed to town and city clerk offices across the state in advance of the same-sex marriage law taking effect July 24.”
“Killing your spouse is an effective way of ending an argument but that doesn't make it OK; it's still murder and still illegal.”
“Section 3 of DOMA provides that for all purposes under federal law, the word "marriage" means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word "spouse" refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife.”
“Your spouse is a veteran who awakes in the night in a sweat from nightmares and has anger outbursts during the day.”
The Huffington Post: Lloyd I. Sederer, MD: Finding the Right Psychiatrist
“Specifically, from 1973 through 2008, the percent who say that "a married person having sexual relations with someone other than their spouse is always wrong" has steadily decreased.”
“Or tell you that your spouse is always in church and volunteers and because you don't the house the car the kids and most of your salary goes to them, and the only way to change that is to dedicate yourself to the church and volunteer and prove your commitment to God.”
“It turns out that in eight states, plus the District of Columbia, getting beaten up by your spouse is a pre-existing condition.”
“As an example, in eight states plus the District of Columbia, getting beaten up by your spouse is a PRE-EXISTING CONDITION.”
“To the newly united, Shallal recommends making sure your spouse is also your friend.”
The Washington Post: Local professionals share their tips on what makes a marriage work
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘spouse’.
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Hearticulating
All sorts of names or terms for romantic partners: vague, clinical, physical, sleazy, cheesy, co-dependent, demeaning, sarcastic, or the dutifully committed. This is to provide a wide-range of le...
couple, partner, lover, sweetheart, significant other, confidant, consort, mate, better half, paramour, accomplice, counterpart and 52 more...
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[Open] Infrequentative
Non-frequentative verbs which also have a frequentative form (which you may add to the list “Frequentative”, if you like)
Examples include bob (bobble), busk (bustle), dab (dabble), ho...hove, stut, wag, dab, dart, spouse, sault, prate, swag, visé, cater, nose and 33 more...
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Mawidge is what bwings us togevaah
Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage . . .
chichevache, bicorne, uxorovalent, uxoravalent, uxorious, unfellowed, azygophrenia, agapetae, agunah, anaxiphilia, anuloma, pratiloma and 28 more...
Prolagus frindley would link to slice, now. Jun 21, 2008
bilby I wish. But all I hear is:
"Professors and their louse-sucking, mousey, cows of house-vowed spouses are invited to the Garden Party..."
I just can't be faithful to an -ouse. Call me philandering, but other word endings seduce me by night and by day. May 7, 2008
reesetee Now, see? Spice sounds so much nicer than spouse. May 7, 2008
frindley Plural: spice, of course.
As in "Professors and their spice are invited to the Garden Party…" May 7, 2008