marriage English · revision 2696

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1297|origins=la marītus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈmær.ɪdʒ/, US /ˈmer.ɪdʒ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|mariage]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|fro|mariage|t=marriage, dowry]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[m|fro|marier|t=to marry]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998) the source of [[marry]];^(Barnhart 1988) Etymonline derives the noun from [[la-vul|*marītāticum]], from Latin marītātus, the past participle of marītāre “to wed, give in marriage”,^(Etymonline) from marītus “husband”.^(Etymonline) The Vulgar Latin word is also the source of Italian maritaggio and Spanish maridaje.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The condition of being husband and wife: 1297,^(OED 1989) about 1300,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) when it also meant the act of entering into wedlock.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The marriage vow, the wedding and its celebrations are marriage from the late 14th century,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and figurative use, “an intimate union”, as of ideas or things, from the late 14th century^(Etymonline) or about 1420.^(OED 1989) In the late 15th and 16th centuries a marriage could also be a prospective husband or wife, a good or bad match.^(OED 1989) In pinochle and other card games a marriage is the king and queen of the same suit.^(AHD) ''Marriageable'' is from about 1555.^(Barnhart 1988) Johnson (1755) noted that the word was often used in compounds.^(Johnson 1755) Modern dictionaries define marriage as the union of two people, and include same-sex marriage.^(MWU 2024)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1297 – the married state.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1300 – entering into wedlock.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * late 14th century – the wedding ceremony; a close union.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1473 – a particular union.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1555 – ''marriageable''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners; [[wedlock]].^(MWU 2024)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A [[wedding]] ceremony.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # A particular married relationship: ''a happy marriage''.^(OED 1989)

+ # A close union or combination: ''a marriage of words and music''.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+ # In some card games, the king and queen of the same suit.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[marry]]

+ * [[marital]]

+ * [[married]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In dialect a ''marriage-bone'' was the merrythought or wishbone of a fowl.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}