esposar

Definition of "esposar" in English:

The Spanish verb "esposar" primarily means:

1. To handcuff or to put handcuffs on someone.

   • This is the most common meaning and is used when referring to restraining a person's wrists using metal rings connected by a chain, typically by the police.

2. To marry or to wed (archaic or less usual).

   • Although less common nowadays, "esposar" can also mean to join two people in marriage, related to the word "esposo" (husband) and "esposa" (wife).

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Parts of the word:

• esposa = "wife" (also means "handcuff")
• The suffix -ar is a common Spanish infinitive verb ending.

The connection between "wife" and "handcuff" comes metaphorically from binding or joining together.

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Synonyms:

• For meaning 1 (to handcuff):

  • poner las esposas (literally: to put on the handcuffs)
  • detener (to detain, arrest, though not exactly the same)

• For meaning 2 (to marry):

  • casarse (to get married)
  • contraer matrimonio (to marry)

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Antonyms:

• For meaning 1:

  • liberar (to release, to free)
  • desesposar (to remove handcuffs, although not commonly used)

• For meaning 2:

  • divorciar or separar (to divorce or separate, opposed to marrying)

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Example sentences:

• Meaning 1:
  Los policías esposaron al sospechoso después de arrestarlo.
  (The police handcuffed the suspect after arresting him.)

• Meaning 2:
  En el pasado, algunas personas usaban la palabra esposar para referirse a casarse.
  (In the past, some people used the word "esposar" to mean getting married.)

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In current everyday usage, when you hear "esposar," it almost always refers to handcuffing.