Wife English duke married (3)
I believe the answer is:
wed
'married' is the definition.
('wed' can be similar in meaning to 'married')
'wife english duke' is the wordplay.
'wife' becomes 'w'.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'duke' becomes 'd'.
'w'+'e'+'d'='WED'
(Other definitions for wed that I've seen before include "united" , "Marry" , "Took in marriage" , "Espouse" , "Unite closely" .)