sponso

Forms

spōnsō (present infinitive spōnsāre, perfect active spōnsāvī, supine spōnsātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin sponsa (“betrothed woman, bride”), with the verb ending -ō, in the OLD's analysis.^[2] Lewis & Short derive it from sponsus¹ (“betrothed man, bridegroom”),^[3] and Wiktionary also allows a frequentative of spondeō (“to pledge, promise”) with -tō.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest writers to use it are Tertullian (c. 160–220 AD)^[3][4][5] and the jurist Paulus, quoted in the Digest (23.2.38): a man holding office in a province may not marry a woman from it, though he is not forbidden to become engaged to her.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Lewis & Short call it post-classical.^[3] Besides “to become engaged to”, it meant “to promise in marriage”.^[4] Christian writers used it figuratively: Paulinus of Nola of the soul, and the Vulgate (Hosea 2:19) of God betrothing his people to himself forever.^[3]

In Medieval Latin it meant to marry a woman, to give a woman in marriage, and, of a church, to endow it.^[6] Through Old French espouser it lies behind English espouse (mid-15th century).^[7]

Timeline

• c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses it.^[3][4][5]
• first half of the 3rd century AD – The jurist Paulus uses it of engagement.^[2][5]
• c. 353–431 AD – Paulinus of Nola uses it of the soul.^[3][5]
• 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it in Hosea.^[3][5]
• mid-15th century – English espouse, through Old French.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To become engaged to (a woman), betroth oneself to.^[2][3][1]
2. To promise (a woman) in marriage.^[4]
3. (Ecclesiastical Latin, figurative) To betroth (the soul, a people) to God.^[3]
4. (Medieval Latin) To marry; to marry off.^[6]
5. (Medieval Latin) To endow (a church).^[6]

Word family

• dēspōnsō

Related words

• English espouse

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com