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marriage

Syllabification: (mar·riage)
Pronunciation: /ˈmarij/

Translate marriage | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of marriage

noun

  • 1the formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife:a happy marriage the children from his first marriage
  • the state of being married:women want equality in marriage
  • (in some jurisdictions) a formal union between partners of the same sex.
  • 2a combination or mixture of two or more elements:a marriage of jazz, pop, blues, and gospel
  • (in pinochle and other card games) a combination of a king and queen of the same suit.

Phrases

by marriage

as a result of a marriage:a distant cousin by marriage

in marriage

as husband or wife:he asked my father for my hand in marriage

marriage of convenience

a marriage concluded to achieve a practical purpose.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French mariage, from marier 'marry'

Spelling rule

If a word ends in a consonant plus -y (in this case, marry), change the -y to an -i before adding any ending (unless the ending already begins with an -i): marriage.

marriage in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of marriage in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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