espousal

American  

[ih-spou-zuhl, -suhl] / ɪˈspaʊ zəl, -səl /

noun

1. adoption or advocacy, as of a cause or principle.

2. Sometimes espousals.

   1. a marriage ceremony.

   2. an engagement or betrothal celebration.

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espousal British  

/ ɪˈspaʊzəl /

noun

1. adoption or support

   an espousal of new beliefs

2. archaic (sometimes plural) a marriage or betrothal ceremony

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Other Word Forms

• nonespousal noun

Etymology

Origin of espousal

1275–1325; Middle English espousaille < Middle French, Old French espousailles < Latin spōnsālia (noun use of neuter plural of spōnsālis ), equivalent to spōns ( us ) spouse + -ālia -al ²

Explanation

When you speak up in favor of something or support a cause, that's espousal. Your espousal of energy conservation can be seen in your electric car and the solar panels on your house. Espousal of one political candidate over another can be expressed with a sign in your yard or a big financial contribution to the campaign. During a debate, each person adopts the espousal of one strong viewpoint and then they argue with each other. In the old days, an espousal was an engagement or a wedding — gaining a spouse, in other words. This is the original meaning, with the figurative "married to principles" definition dating from about 1670.

Example Sentences

“This repertoire — with its contrapuntal extravaganzas, its antiphonal balances, its espousal of instruments that chuff and wheeze and speak directly to a microphone — was made for stereo,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2024

As Travis Adkins and Judd Devermont recently pointed out in Foreign Policy, Cold Warriors both Black and White were painfully aware of the contradictions of their ringing espousal of freedom.

From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2020

But, he added, espousal of those values by American officials “is neither 100 percent cynical, nor is it inconsequential.”

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2018

In our book “Queer Wars,” Jon Symons and I traced the current backlash back to the espousal of “Asian values” by Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew and Malaysia’s Mohammed Mahathir in the early 1990s.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2016

Emboldened by the success of our arms, Congress began forming plans for urging upon the French Government the open espousal of our cause.

From Beaumarchais and the War of American Independence by Kite, Elizabeth S.