espouse

English

Etymology

From Middle English espousen, from Old French espouser, from Latin spōnsāre (frequentative of spondēre), from Proto-Indo-European *spend-

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ɛsˈspaʊz/, SAMPA: /Es"spaUz/

Verb

espouse (third-person singular simple present espouses, present participle espousing, simple past and past participle espoused)

1. (transitive) To become/get married to.
2. (transitive) To accept, support, or take on as one’s own (an idea or a cause).
   • 1998, William Croft, Event Structure in Argument Linking, in: Miriam Butt and Wilhelm Geuder, eds., “The Projection of Arguments”, p. 37

     Although Dowty’s proposal is attractive from the point of view of the alternative argument linking theory that I am espousing, since it eschews the use of thematic roles and thematic role hierarchies, […], but it still has some drawbacks.

Related terms

• espousal
• sponsor
• spouse

Translations

become married to

Bulgarian: женя се (bg) Dutch: trouwen (nl) met (nl), in het huwelijk treden (nl) met (nl), tot man nemen (nl), tot vrouw nemen (nl) French: épouser (fr)

German: heiraten, ehelichen, sich vermählen mit, zur Frau nehmen, zum Mann nehmen Polish: poślubić, ożenić się, wyjść za mąż

accept, support, take as one’s own

Bulgarian: поддържам (bg) Dutch: verdedigen (nl), aannemen (nl), ondersteunen (nl) Finnish: omaksua (fi), kannattaa (fi)

French: épouser (fr), adopter (fr) German: eintreten für, Partei ergreifen für