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marié

Etymology and origin of the French word marié

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1145, Wace
Ultimate origin
Latin (marītus)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin maritus
French mari
Latin marito
French marier
French mariage
French marié

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ma.ʁje/[1]

Forms

marié (feminine mariée, masculine plural mariés, feminine plural mariées)[1]

Etymology

Used as an adjective and a noun, it is the past participle from French marier (“to marry”).[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Wace uses it about 1145, in his Conception Nostre Dame, for a person joined by marriage.[2]

Semantic evolution

As a noun, a person who has married, especially on the wedding day itself, it is found in the 14th century;[2] the GLLF dates the noun to about 1190.[4] Robert Estienne records nouveau marié and nouvelle mariée in 1538, and Balzac has jeune marié in 1842.[4] Oudin records the saying se plaindre que la mariée est trop belle, to complain of something one should be glad of, in 1640.[4]

By likeness it was applied to things that go together: Corneille has rimes mariées for rhymes in couplets (1650), and Molière uses it of things in harmony (1670).[2][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1145 – Adjective “married”, in Wace.[2]
  • 14th century – Noun “a married person, a bride or bridegroom”.[2]
  • 1538 – Nouveau marié, nouvelle mariée, in Robert Estienne.[4]
  • 1640 – Se plaindre que la mariée est trop belle, in Oudin.[4]
  • 1650 – Rimes mariées, in Corneille.[2]
  • 1670 – Of things in harmony, in Molière.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Married: un homme marié, une femme mariée.[5][6]
  2. (of things) Well matched, in harmony.[2][4]

Noun

  1. A person who has recently married: les jeunes mariés, the newly-weds.[5][6]
  2. A bridegroom, la mariée, the bride: robe de mariée.[5][6]
  3. Se plaindre que la mariée est trop belle: to complain about something one should be glad of.[5][4]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Marié.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/mari%C3%A9. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·