Sentence:  While it is easy enough to ridicule Hawkins ' pronouncement in Pleas of the Crown from a metaphysical point of view , the concept of the `` oneness '' of a married couple may reflect an abiding belief that the communion between husband and <WSD>wife</WSD> is such that their actions are not always to be regarded by the criminal law as if there were no marriage . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a married woman; a man's partner in marriage