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marry

v. · interj.
US //ˈmɛɹi// UK //mˈæɹi// mar·ry
  1. 1 to become a spouse (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to become the husband or wife of someone in a legal or religious ceremony.

    to enter into a formal or legal union with another person as a spouse.

    Example

    They decided to marry in a small wooden church near the mountains.

    Example

    After dating for nearly a decade, the couple finally decided to marry in a private ceremony attended only by their immediate families.
    Pitfall
    She married with a doctor.
    She married a doctor.

    The verb 'marry' is transitive and does not take the preposition 'with' when followed by an object.

  2. 2 to perform a ceremony (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to lead a wedding ceremony as a priest or official.

    to perform the religious or legal service that joins two people in marriage.

    Example

    A local judge married them at the city hall last Friday.

    Example

    The ship's captain had the legal authority to marry the couple while they were in international waters.
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  1. 3 to combine things (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to join two different things or ideas together so they work well.

    to bring together or combine two different qualities, ideas, or objects into a harmonious whole.

    Example

    The chef's new recipe tries to marry traditional flavors with modern techniques.

    Example

    The architect's design successfully marries industrial aesthetics with the natural contours of the surrounding landscape.
  2. 4 to join ropes (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    to join two ropes together so they can move through a block or be pulled together.

    to interlace the strands of two ropes or hold them together for simultaneous hauling.

    Example

    The sailors had to marry the two lines to pull the heavy sail up.

    Example

    The boatswain instructed the crew to marry the ropes before attempting to pass them through the narrow block.

    Usage

    Used specifically in nautical or rigging contexts.
  3. 5 indeed (interj.)
    C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

    an old word used to show surprise or to emphasize that something is true.

    an archaic exclamation used to express surprise, indignation, or emphasis.

    Example

    Marry, I did not expect to see you here so early.

    Example

    Marry, sir, I have not seen such a display of courage in many years.

    Teacher's tip

    This term originated as a corruption of the name 'Mary' (the Virgin Mary) and is frequently encountered in Shakespearean texts.
Etymology 1

From Middle English marien, from Anglo-Norman marïer, from Latin marītāre (“to wed”), from marītus (“husband, suitor”), from mās (“man, male”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *méryos (“young man”), same source as Sanskrit मर्य (márya, “suitor, young man”). Compare its feminine derivatives: Welsh morwyn (“girl”), merch (“daughter”), Crimean Gothic marzus (“wedding”), Ancient Greek μεῖραξ (meîrax, “boy; girl”), Lithuanian marti̇̀ (“bride”), Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (maⁱriia, “yeoman”).) Displaced native Old English hīwian.

Etymology 2

From Middle English Marie, referring to Mary, the Virgin Mary. Mid-14th century.

Word family
Idioms2 entries

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