Etymograph

English

maritage

Maritage comes from Medieval Latin marītāgium ‘marriage (wedlock)’, from Latin marītō ‘marry, wed’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méryos ‘young man’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méryos1‘young man’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmās2‘male, a male’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmarītus3‘of or relating to marriage’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmarītō4‘marry, wed’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500marītāgium5‘marriage (wedlock)’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1879maritage5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin mas
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin maritus
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin marito
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin maritagium
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English maritage
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1879, Rerum Britannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores: “And they may sell the wardship of the lands,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méryosWiktionary, Latin mas‘young man’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmāsWiktionary, Latin maritus‘male, a male’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmarītusWiktionary, Latin marito‘of or relating to marriage’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmarītōWiktionary, Latin maritagium‘marry, wed’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500marītāgiumWiktionary, English maritage‘marriage (wedlock)’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1879maritageWiktionary, English maritage. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1879, Rerum Britannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores: “And they may sell the wardship of the lands,…”

Linked words

through Latin mās ‘male, a male’

male, masculine, masculinity, macho, machismo, 8 more

through Latin marītus ‘of or relating to marriage’

marry, 5 more

through Latin marītō ‘marry, wed’

married, marriage, 1 more

Today it means

noun The right of the lord of the fee to dispose of the heiress, later also of the male heir, in marriage.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “maritage”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin mas, Latin maritus, Latin marito, Latin maritagium. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *méryos / maritage

Shirt and support for this word