English
marriage
Marriage comes from Middle English mariage, from Old French mariage, from marier ‘to marry’, from Latin marītō, from marītus ‘husband’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmarītus1‘lover; nuptial’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmarītō1‘to marry’literally ‘give in marriage’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400marier1‘to marry’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400mariage1‘marriage’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mariage1
- Englishearliest quotation 1936marriage1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English marriage
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1936, Dale Carnegie, Part 1, Chapter 2. THE BIG SECRET OF DEALING WITH PEOPLE: “"I have a patient right now whose marriage proved…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmarītusWiktionary, English marriage‘lover; nuptial’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmarītōWiktionary, English marriage‘to marry’literally ‘give in marriage’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400marierWiktionary, English marriage‘to marry’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400mariageWiktionary, English marriage‘marriage’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mariageWiktionary, English marriage
- Englishearliest quotation 1936marriageWiktionary, English marriage. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1936, Dale Carnegie, Part 1, Chapter 2. THE BIG SECRET OF DEALING WITH PEOPLE: “"I have a patient right now whose marriage proved…”
Linked words
through Latin mas ‘male, masculine, of the male sex’
male, masculine, masculinity, macho, machismo, 9 more
through Latin marītus ‘husband, married man’
Today it means
noun The state of being married.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “marriage”. 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 / Latin marītus / marriage