espousal
5 synonyms for espousal, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — An agreement or promise to marry; an engagement.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
Comes from Middle English espousal, espousaille, from Old French espousailles, from Latin sponsalia ("a betrothal"), the neuter plural of sponsalis, from spōnsus ("one betrothed, a spouse") — compare spouse. By surface analysis, it is espouse + -al.
Full origin of espousal →