Meanings
plural espousals
- countableuncountableA betrothal.
1 more example
So he pressed her again and again with advice on the matter of espousals; but she ever opposed to him refusals, till at last she turned upon him angrily and cried, "O my father, if thou name matrimony to me once more, I will go into my chamber and take a sword, and, fixing its hilt on the ground, will set its point to my waist; then I will press upon it, till it come forth from my back, and so slay myself."
1949, Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Synonyms & antonyms
nounarchaic terms for a wedding or wedding feast
nounthe act of accepting with approval; favorable reception
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsponsalia“a betrothal”
- Old Frenchespousailles
- Middle Englishespousal
- Englishespousal
From Middle English espousal, espousaille, from Old French espousailles, from Latin sponsalia (“a betrothal”), neuter plural of sponsalis, from spōnsus (“one betrothed, a spouse”); see spouse. By surface analysis, espouse + -al.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian женитба
- женитба (ženitba)wedding ceremony
Finnish häät, omaksuminen
- häätwedding ceremony
- omaksuminenadoption of a plan
- hyväksyminenadoption of a plan
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with espousal
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
espousal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/espousal
“espousal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/espousal. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “espousal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/espousal.
Source: espousal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.