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marier

Etymology and origin of the French word marier

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1145, Wace, Conception Notre-Dame
Inherited from
Latin marito
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

marier[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin marītō (“to give in marriage; to wed a vine to a tree”), a verb of the Imperial period, from marītus (“husband”) (whence mari).[2][3][4][5][6]

Cognate with Romanian mărita, Italian maritare, Occitan maridar, Spanish maridar and Portuguese maridar.[7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Wace's Conception Notre-Dame (about 1145) it means to give someone in marriage.[2]

Semantic evolution

In Chrétien de Troyes' Cligès (1176) it means “to take as a wife”, a use now archaic or regional, though still common in Belgium and in colloquial French.[2][1] The reflexive se marier “to get married” is in Wace (after 1170), and the reciprocal use about 1220.[2] By extension it meant to unite closely (Du Bellay, 1558) and to combine things in harmony (Madame de Sévigné, 1672), as with colours or flavours.[2][1] Like the Latin verb, it was used of training vines on elms (Furetière, 1690, marier la vigne, Delille, 1770).[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1145 – To give in marriage, Wace.[2]
  • After 1170 – Se marier.[2]
  • 1176 – To take as a wife, Chrétien de Troyes.[2]
  • 1558 – To unite closely, Du Bellay.[2]
  • 1672 – To combine harmoniously, Madame de Sévigné.[2]
  • 1690 – Marier des vignes avec des ormeaux, Furetière.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To marry, to unite in marriage (of a priest, mayor): le maire les a mariés.[9][1]
  2. To marry off, find a spouse for: marier sa fille, fille à marier.[9][8]
  3. Se marier: to get married: se marier avec quelqu'un.[1][2]
  4. (Belgium, colloquial, regional) To marry (someone): il a marié une Française.[1][2]
  5. To combine, blend (colours, flavours, styles) to good effect.[1][2]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 6/1, 348a
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Derived terms

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Marier.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/marier. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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