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# espouse

verb (espouses, espoused, espousing)

«espouse» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To take up a cause and support it warmly, often as your own. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/espouse/#m1)
2. (old use) To marry someone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/espouse/#m2)

### In the lessons

in tales, a hero espouses the cause of the poor or of a weaker people against a tyrant

### Examples

- She warmly espoused the cause of the poor. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/espouse/#x1)
- The knight espoused the cause of the village. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/espouse/#x2)
- In the old tale, the prince espoused the princess. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/espouse/#x3)

### Note

nothing for maths

## In Jewish tradition

In the Torah, it means to betroth a woman to a man, here a female servant betrothed to her master or his son.

**Interpretation.** The law of the Hebrew maidservant says the master who takes her as a wife, or gives her to his son, must treat her as a free daughter and not as a slave; the rabbis read this as protecting her dignity.

### Examples

- And if he espouse her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. (Torah EXO.21.9, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/E/espouse/#x1)
- If she please not her master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed; to sell her unto a foreign people he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. (Torah EXO.21.8, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/E/espouse/#x2)
- For as a young man espouseth a virgin, so shall thy sons espouse thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. (Prophets ISA.62.5, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/E/espouse/#x3)

### Note

nothing for maths

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «espouse» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/espouse/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«espouse» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/espouse.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «espouse» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/E/espouse/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«espouse» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/espouse.html) on Mova free.