mari

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ma.ʁi/^[1]

Forms

mari m (plural maris)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin marītus (“husband”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The Latin word was first an adjective in farming, “joined”, of a tree to which a vine was trained, then “conjugal”; as a noun it displaced vir (“man”) in the sense “husband” and was also used of male animals.^[3][4] It is usually derived from mās (“male”) (see mâle), but Rey holds that the two are unrelated in origin, “marītus” belonging to a family of words for young people of marriageable age, such as Lithuanian marti (“bride”) and Sanskrit मर्य (márya, “young man”).^[2][3]

Cognate with Italian marito, Occitan marit, Catalan marit, Spanish marido and Portuguese marido.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1145 in Wace's Conception Notre-Dame, in prendre mari “to marry”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Its meaning has not changed, though its connotations have followed the social meaning of marriage.^[3] In popular French it is often replaced by homme (mon homme), and in the west by bonhomme; the word is absent from the dialects of southern Italy and northern France.^[4][6] Palsgrave noted that Parisians pronounced it mazi in the 16th century.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 1145 – Prendre mari in Wace.^[2]
• 16th century – The Parisian pronunciation mazi, noted by Palsgrave.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A husband: son mari, prendre mari.^[1][2]

Related words

• mariage
• marier
• marital
• Latin marītus

Usage notes

A separate, feminine mari is a clipping of marijuana.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 355b
6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette