/ spaʊs; NAmE ; spaʊz/ noun
( formal or law ) a husband or wife
► spou·sal / ˈspaʊzl; NAmE ; ˈspaʊsl/ adjective [ only before noun ] ( formal ):
spousal consent
spousal abuse
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French spous(e) , variant of espous(e) , from Latin sponsus (masculine), sponsa (feminine), past participles of spondere betroth.