Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “espousaille” come from?

espousaille (Middle English) comes from Old French espousailles, from Latin sponsalia, from Latin sponsalis, from Latin sponsa, from Latin sponsus, from Latin spondeo, from Proto-Italic spondeō, from Proto-Indo-European spondéyeti — to libate.

Ancestry of “espousaille”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchespousailles—
2Latinsponsaliabetrothal, espousal; wedding
3Latinsponsalisof betrothal
4Latinsponsabride; fiancée
5LatinsponsusA groom; A fiancé; A bail, surety
6LatinspondeoI promise, bind or pledge myself, contract, vow;...
7Proto-Italicspondeōto promise, to pledge
8Proto-Indo-Europeanspondéyeti—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanspend-to libate

Words derived from “espousaille”

  • espousal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European spend- →