espouse

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The Word of the Day for July 25 is:

espouse   \iss-POWZ (OW as in "cow")\   verb
      1 : marry
    *2 : to take up and support as a cause : become attached to

Example sentence:
     Many environmentalists have espoused the belief that global 
warming is a serious concern to the well-being of the planet.

Did you know?
     As you might guess, the words "espouse" and "spouse" are 
related, both deriving from the Latin verb "spondere," 
meaning "to betroth." In fact, the two were once completely 
interchangeable, with each serving as a noun meaning "a newly 
married person" or "a husband or wife" and also as a verb 
meaning "to marry." Their semantic separation began in the 17th 
century, when the noun "espouse" fell out of use. Around the 
same time, people started using the verb "espouse" figuratively 
to mean "to commit to and support a cause." "Spouse" continued 
to be used in both noun and verb forms until the 19th century, 
when its verb senses waned and it came to be used mainly as a 
noun meaning "husband or wife."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.