This week’s theme
Verbs

This week’s words
devolve
edify
parlay
espouse
acerbate

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PRONUNCIATION:

(i-SPOUZ)

MEANING:

verb tr.:
1. To adopt or support a cause, idea, belief, etc.
2. To take as spouse: marry.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old French espouser, from Latin sponsare (to betroth), from sponsus (betrothed). Ultimately from the Indo-European root spend- (to make an offering or perform a rite), which is also the source of sponsor, spouse, respond, and riposte. Earliest documented use: 1477.

USAGE:

“Chevy Eugene’s research focuses on the arts as a key tool for Caribbean integration -- an idea he not only espouses, but actively pursues.”
Time for a New Kind of Black Activism; Toronto Star (Canada); Apr 19, 2015.

See more usage examples of espouse in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: