Mary

American  

[mair-ee, mer-ee] / ˈmɛər i, ˈmɛr i /

noun

1. Also called Virgin Mary.  the mother of Jesus.

2. the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1,2.

3. Mary, Queen of Scots.

4. Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, 1867–1953, Queen of England 1910–36 (wife of George V).

5. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a term used to refer to or address a gay man (sometimes used facetiously).

6. a female given name.

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Mary ¹ British  

/ ˈmɛərɪ /

noun

1. New Testament

   1. the mother of Jesus, believed to have conceived and borne him while still a virgin; she was married to Joseph (Matthew 1:18–25). Major feast days: Feb 2, Mar 25, May 31, Aug 15, Sept 8

   2. the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–2)

2. obsolete an Aboriginal woman or girl

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Mary ² British  

/ ˈmɛərɪ /

noun

1. original name Princess Mary of Teck. 1867–1953, queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1910–36) by marriage to George V

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Sensitive Note

When referring to a gay man, the term Mary can be contemptuous. However, even in direct address, it is more often used for humorous effect, without intent to offend. In fact, Mary is a term of address sometimes adopted by gay people themselves.

Pronunciation

Pop Quiz: Do you pronounce Mary, marry, and merry all with slightly different vowels? If so, we venture to guess that you're from the northeastern part of the United States. In that region, Mary is pronounced with the same vowel as mare , marry with the same vowel as mat , and merry with the same vowel as met . Many of these regional distinctions persist despite the equalizing effect of modern communications technology. But because patterns of sound can shift, linguists have documented how certain vowel sounds have merged over time to be pronounced the same, though still spelled differently. The majority of Americans use the merged vowel , as in met, for all three words. The three-way contrast can be heard in New York City and Boston. Philadelphia's three-way contrast includes an additional merger of Murray and merry, where both words are pronounced with the same vowel as fur . Two-way mergers are also common, notably Mary and merry (but not marry ) in the South. Other vowel mergers can be heard in regional dialects of American English, for example pin and pen, or cot and caught. Do you merge or not?

Etymology

Origin of Mary

First recorded before 1000; Middle English Marie, Old English Maria, from Late Latin, from Greek María, from Hebrew Miryām; see Miriam ( def. )

Example Sentences

In 1967, he met Mary Tyler Moore while serving as an assistant stage manager for a production of “Holly Golightly,” which turned out to be a flop.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026

What’s Next: Smartbird’s transformation is still a Hail Mary, though its stock shot up 39% on Wednesday.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

Over the years, Kingsley has expressed hurt over how his own mother, actor Anna Lyna Mary Goodman, never acknowledged his acting talent or childhood achievements.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026

A consultant working with his campaign “is a known longtime supporter” of former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is Sen. Sullivan’s principal challenger.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026

Despite our promises to write, I’d quickly lost touch with even my best pals, Mary and Lillie.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu