See espousal in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"word": "nonespousal"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "espousal"
},
"expansion": "Middle English espousal",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "espousailles"
},
"expansion": "Old French espousailles",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "sponsalia",
"4": "",
"5": "a betrothal"
},
"expansion": "Latin sponsalia (“a betrothal”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "espouse",
"3": "-al"
},
"expansion": "By surface analysis, espouse + -al",
"name": "surf"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "espousals",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "~"
},
"expansion": "espousal (countable and uncountable, plural espousals)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"word": "spouse"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"word": "sponsor"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "44 28 29",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -al",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
63,
72
]
],
"ref": "1949, Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces:",
"text": "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.\"",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A betrothal."
],
"id": "en-espousal-en-noun-OuZKl~re",
"links": [
[
"betrothal",
"betrothal"
]
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"A wedding ceremony."
],
"id": "en-espousal-en-noun-8jYlQYl2",
"links": [
[
"wedding",
"wedding"
],
[
"ceremony",
"ceremony"
]
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "1 99 0",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"lang_code": "bg",
"roman": "ženitba",
"sense": "wedding ceremony",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "женитба"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 99 0",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "wedding ceremony",
"tags": [
"plural"
],
"word": "häät"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "21 22 58",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "11 26 63",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "11 23 66",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "7 12 81",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "14 12 73",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "15 13 73",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Adoption of a plan, cause, or idea."
],
"id": "en-espousal-en-noun-oOtA4HN8",
"links": [
[
"Adoption",
"adoption"
],
[
"plan",
"plan"
],
[
"cause",
"cause"
],
[
"idea",
"idea"
]
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "4 1 95",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "adoption of a plan",
"word": "omaksuminen"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 1 95",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "adoption of a plan",
"word": "hyväksyminen"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/əˈspaʊzl̩/"
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-espousal.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d2/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-espousal.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-espousal.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d2/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-espousal.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-espousal.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"Southern-England"
]
},
{
"rhymes": "-aʊzəl"
}
],
"word": "espousal"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 3-syllable words",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from Latin",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Old French",
"English terms inherited from Middle English",
"English terms suffixed with -al",
"English uncountable nouns",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Rhymes:English/aʊzəl",
"Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "nonespousal"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "espousal"
},
"expansion": "Middle English espousal",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro",
"3": "espousailles"
},
"expansion": "Old French espousailles",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "sponsalia",
"4": "",
"5": "a betrothal"
},
"expansion": "Latin sponsalia (“a betrothal”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "espouse",
"3": "-al"
},
"expansion": "By surface analysis, espouse + -al",
"name": "surf"
}
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "espousals",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "~"
},
"expansion": "espousal (countable and uncountable, plural espousals)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"word": "spouse"
},
{
"word": "sponsor"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
63,
72
]
],
"ref": "1949, Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces:",
"text": "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.\"",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A betrothal."
],
"links": [
[
"betrothal",
"betrothal"
]
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"A wedding ceremony."
],
"links": [
[
"wedding",
"wedding"
],
[
"ceremony",
"ceremony"
]
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"Adoption of a plan, cause, or idea."
],
"links": [
[
"Adoption",
"adoption"
],
[
"plan",
"plan"
],
[
"cause",
"cause"
],
[
"idea",
"idea"
]
],
"tags": [
"countable",
"uncountable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/əˈspaʊzl̩/"
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-espousal.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d2/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-espousal.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-espousal.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d2/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-espousal.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-espousal.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"Southern-England"
]
},
{
"rhymes": "-aʊzəl"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"lang_code": "bg",
"roman": "ženitba",
"sense": "wedding ceremony",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "женитба"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "wedding ceremony",
"tags": [
"plural"
],
"word": "häät"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "adoption of a plan",
"word": "omaksuminen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "adoption of a plan",
"word": "hyväksyminen"
}
],
"word": "espousal"
}
Download raw JSONL data for espousal meaning in English (3.6kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.