Facts about marriage you didn’t know
The reason we wear our “wedding rings” on our fourth finger is because the Romans believed a vein in this particular finger, called “vena amoris” (a.k.a. the “vein of love”), leads directly to the heart.
Where do the words wife, husband, and marriage come from? “The word “wife” is thought to come from the Proto-Indo-European root weip (“to turn, twist, wrap”) or ghwibh, which has a root meaning “shame” or “pudenda.” Neither of which sounds particularly promising. The word “husband,” on the other hand, derives from the Old Norse husbondi or “master of the house.” The word “spouse” seems to carry less baggage: it has its origins in the Latin wordsponsus “bridegroom” (fem. sponsa “bride”), which comes from the term spondere,meaning “to bind oneself, promise solemnly.”Some of you may not be surprised to learn that the term “marriage” comes from the Latin wordmas meaning “male” or “masculine.” The earliest known use of the word in English dates from the 13th century.”
Not all married people are miserable – which is a common trope we see in comedy, as the punchline of a joke, or even portrayed in some sitcoms or movies. A 2021 Monmouth Poll found that 92% of married couples were either extremely or very satisfied in their marriage.
