n. pl. mat·ri·mo·nies The act or state of being married; marriage. [Middle English, from Old French matrimoine, from Latin mātrimōnium, from māter, mātr-, mother; see māter- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] mat′ri·moni·al adj. mat′ri·moni·al·ly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.