Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spouseless” come from?

spouseless (English) comes from English spouse, from Middle English spous, from Old French espos, from Latin spōnsus, from Latin spondeō, from Proto-Italic spondeō, from Proto-Indo-European spondéyeti, from Proto-Indo-European spend- — to libate.

spouseless (English): Without a spouse; unmarried

Definitions

  1. Without a spouse; unmarried

Ancestry of “spouseless”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspouseA person in a marriage or marital relationship;...
2Middle Englishspous—
3Old Frenchesposhusband
4Latinspōnsus—
5Latinspondeō—
6Proto-Italicspondeōto promise, to pledge
7Proto-Indo-Europeanspondéyeti—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanspend-to libate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European spend- →