| 释义 |
▪ I. † eˈspouse, n. Obs.
Also 5–6 espowse. See also spouse n.
[a. OF. espos, espus, espous (mod.F. époux) masc., espuse, espouse (mod. épouse) fem., corresp. to Pr. espos, Sp., Pg. esposo, It. sposo:—L. sponsus: see espouse v.]
1. a. A betrothed person of either sex; also a newly-married person, a bride or bridegroom.
c1475Partenay 954 The Erle the espouse courtoisly forth lad. c1534tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. I. 141 The good virgin Alfreda, knowinge the deathe of her espowse..convayed herselfe into a place named Crolande. 1594R. Parsons Confer. Success i. vi. 133 The heyre apparent (which be⁓fore was but espouse,) is made now the true king and husband of the commonwealth. 1603Holland Plutarch's Mor. 464 Hee would not allow that the new married bride⁓grome should lie with his espouse.
b. A husband or wife.
1490Caxton Eneydos xviii. (1890) 68 My true husbande & espouse. 1530Palsgr. Ep. 4 Charles Brandon duke of Suffolke, her moost worthy espouse. 1642W. Bird Mag. Honor 111 The King's Espouse is a free person, exempted by the Common Law. 1654tr. Scudery's Curia Politiæ 153 Immodest and vicious Messalina was the espouse and wife of dull and ignoble Claudius.
2. fig.
1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 92/2 Thou shalt haue me thyn espowse in the Royaume of heuen. a1555Ridley in Foxe A. & M. (1684) III. 364 Christ, who is the most loving spouse of his espouse the Church.
▪ II. espouse, v.|ɪˈspaʊz|
Also 7 expouse. See also spouse v.
[a. OF. espouse-r (mod.F. épouser), corresp. to Pr. espozar, Cat. esposar, It. sposare:—L. sponsāre, f. sponsus, pa. pple. of spondēre to betroth. Cf. spouse v.]
†1. trans. To contract or betroth (gen. a woman) to, † with another; also simply. Usually said of the parents, or those standing in loco parentis, rarely of the bridegroom. Obs.
1605Camden Rem. (1637) 414 Two Lovers who being espoused, dyed both before they were married. 1611Bible 2 Sam. iii. 14 Deliuer mee my wife Michal, which I espoused to mee. ― Luke i. 27 To a virgine espoused to a man whose name was Ioseph. a1626Bacon (J.), He had received him as a suppliant..and espoused him with his kinswoman.
†b. fig. To pledge, commit, engage. Obs.
1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xxiii. §6 Those that will espouse us to many factions and quarrels. 1654Whitlock Zootomia 225, I will..look on all the changes of Common⁓wealths..without espousing my reason so to any one, as, etc. Ibid. 253 To espouse our selves..to one part of truth.
2. To take (a person) as spouse; to marry. Said chiefly of the man, occas. of the woman. Also of the father: To give in marriage to.
1475Caxton Jason 8 And this day Pyrithyon espoused the fayr Ypodame. 1511–12Act 3 Hen. VIII, c. 18 Pream., Richarde..whose dowghter & heyre the seid Syr John Rysley espoused & maryed. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, iv. v. 18 The Queene hath heartily consented He should espouse Elizabeth hir daughter. 1613Purchas Pilgr. (1626) 201 He which shall espouse a woman bringeth witnesses. 1642Perkins Prof. Bk. v. §439. 190 If a man assigne unto his wife when he espouses her, at the Church doore [etc.]. 1725Pope Odyss. ii. 130 If her [Penelope's] sire approves, Let him espouse her to the Peer she loves. 1768H. Walpole Hist. Doubts 40 Before Edward had espoused the lady Grey, he had been contracted to the lady Eleanor Butler. 1860Motley Netherl. (1868) I. ii. 55 The Duke of Savoy was himself to espouse the Infanta.
b. transf. and fig.
1615G. Sandys Trav. 2 On Ascension Day the Duke [of Venice] is towed thither [to the sea] in the Bucentoro..where he solemnly espouseth the sea. a1711Ken Psyche Poet. Wks. 1721 IV. 236 Sweet Jesus to espouse your Spirit deigns. 1802Wordsw. On Extinction Venet. Republic, And when she [Venice] took unto herself a mate, She must espouse the everlasting Sea. 1860Pusey Min. Proph. 8 God..Who now vouchsafes to espouse..and unite with Himself..our sinful souls.
†3. To unite in marriage. Const. to, also simply. lit. and fig. Obs.
1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, i. i. 9 In presence of..twenty reuerend Bishops I..was espous'd. ― Lucr. 20 Kings might be espoused to more fame. 1599― Hen. V, iv. vi. 26 And so, espous'd to death, with blood, he seal'd A Testament of Noble-ending-loue.
†b. absol. with reciprocal sense.
a1700Dryden (J.), They soon espous'd; for they with ease were join'd; Who were before contracted in the mind.
4. trans. To choose, attach oneself to (any object); to take to oneself, make one's own (a cause, quarrel, etc.); to become a supporter of (a party); to adopt, embrace (a doctrine, opinion, theory, profession, mode of life). [So Fr. épouser.]
1622Bacon Hen. VII (J.), In gratitude unto the duke of Bretagne..he espoused that quarrel, and declared himself in aid of the duke. 1655W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. xxix. §5. (1669) 333/1 The Mariners needle espousing the North point rather than any other. 1667Dryden Ess. Dram. Poetry in Arb. Garner III. 531 And by that means, expouse the interest of neither. 1672Cave Prim. Chr. i. ii. (1673) 18 You ought not..to espouse barbarous and foreign Rites. 1711Addison Spect. No. 1. ⁋6, I never espoused any Party with Violence. 1759Robertson Hist. Scot. I. iv. 265 He espoused, for this reason, the cause of the Scottish queen. 1782Priestley Corrupt. Chr. I. iii. 307 The protestants espoused..the doctrine of Austin. 1789T. Jefferson Writ. (1859) II. 555 The Parliaments..were led..to espouse, for the first time, the rights of the nation. 1814Wordsw. White Doe ii. 208 Espouse thy doom at once, and cleave To fortitude without reprieve. 1825Lytton Falkland 16 [They] looked to my support in whatever political side they had espoused. 1854Balfour Bot. 130 Many travellers have espoused the vertical theory of wood formation. |