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mar·ry¹

(mărē)

v. mar·ried, mar·ry·ing, mar·ries

v.tr.

a. To join in marriage: They have been married for 25 years.

b. To take as a spouse: She married him two years ago.

c. To give in marriage: They married their daughter to a nobleman.

2. To perform a marriage ceremony for: The rabbi married the couple.

3. To obtain by marriage: marry money.

4. Nautical To join (two ropes) end to end, as by splicing or seizing.

5. To unite in a close, usually permanent way: "His material marries the domestic and the exotic" (Clifton Fadiman).

v.intr.

1. To enter into marriage; wed: They married in their twenties.

2. To combine or blend agreeably: Let the flavors marry overnight.

[Middle English marien, from Old French marier, from Latin marītāre, from marītus, married.]

mar·ry²

(mărē)

interj.
Archaic

Used as an exclamation of surprise or emphasis.

[Middle English Marie, the Virgin Mary, ultimately from Greek Maria; see MARY¹.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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