cónyuge
Cónyuge is a term used in Romance-language legal and formal contexts to denote a spouse—the person to whom one is legally married or bound by a civil union. In most legal systems, a cónyuge has reciprocal rights and duties, including mutual support, joint management of family affairs, and rights to inheritance or next of kin status. In many jurisdictions, the terms husband and wife refer to gender-specific roles, while cónyuge is gender-neutral and used in formal and statutory texts.
Etymology and variants: The word derives from the Latin coniunx (spouse). In Portuguese, the standard spelling
Legal status: In civil-law countries and in many nations, the cónyuge is the basic unit of the
Usage: Outside strict legal contexts, equivalents like marido and esposa are common in everyday speech, while
Related concepts include marriage, civil union, and domestic partnership.