épouser

Pronunciation

• IPA: /e.pu.ze/^[1]

Forms

épouser^[1] Old French espuser (about 1050), espouser (about 1160); épouser in Pomey (1671).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French espouser, inherited from Late Latin spōnsō (“to promise in marriage, betroth”), the iterative of classical spondeō (“to promise solemnly”), formed on its participle “spōnsus” (see époux).^{[4][3][5][6][7][1]} “Spondere” was an old legal and religious word from an Indo-European root “*spend-” “to pour a libation, promise”, found in Ancient Greek σπένδω (spéndō) and Hittite šipand- (see répondre).^[3] In Romance the Latin verb took the sense “to take as husband or wife”.^[5]

Compare Old Occitan espozar, Catalan esposar and Italian sposare.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) it means to take as husband or wife.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

In Old French it also meant “to marry” two people, as a priest does (about 1138), a sense lost since, épouser qqn “to have relations with someone” (about 1155) became archaic.^[3][5][2] S'épouser is from 1440–75.^[3] Slang made épouser la veuve “to be hanged” (1610), later “guillotined”, and épouser la camarde “to die” (1867).^[3] One could épouser une dette with a spouse in the 16th century, and, from 1548 épouser a cause or a quarrel meant to embrace it.^[3][5] Épouser a shape, to fit it exactly, is from 1886.^[4][3]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – Espuser, Vie de saint Alexis.^[2]
• 1130–40 – Espousee, the bride of Christ, Wace.^[4]
• 1548 – To espouse a cause.^[3]
• 1610 – Épouser la veuve, to be hanged.^[3]
• 1665 – Épouseur, Molière.^[5]
• 1886 – To fit a shape exactly.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To marry, wed: il a épousé une Italienne, s'épouser.^[1][6]
2. To take up, espouse (a cause, an idea): épouser la cause de qqn, épouser une querelle.^[3][5]
3. To fit closely, follow exactly (a shape): une robe qui épouse les formes, la route épouse le relief.^[1][3]

Word family

• épouseur
• épousée

Related words

• épousailles
• épouse
• époux
• répondre

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 210b
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette