Ave Maria

[ ah-vey muh-ree-uh ]

/ ˈɑ veɪ məˈri ə /

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noun

(italics) the first two words of the Latin version of a prayer in the Roman Catholic Church, based on the salutation of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary and the words of Elizabeth to her.

a recitation of this prayer.

the bead or beads on a rosary used to count off each prayer as spoken.

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Also called Hail Mary.

Origin of Ave Maria

Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at ave

Words nearby Ave Maria

avec plaisir, Avedon, Aveiro, avel, Avellaneda, Ave Maria, avenaceous, avenge, avenger, avens, aventail

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Ave Maria in a sentence

The garrulous assistant to a fading screen siren in Clouds of Sils Maria.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I am with a few friends at a pizza spot in D.C., on Mass Ave., just about 10 blocks from the White House.
The Day I Used Eric Garner’s Voice|Joshua DuBois|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maria Borges, an African model in her second VS show, said everyone back home in Angola would be watching her.
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But her friend, 81-year-old Maria Teresa Falcinelli, has a different point of view.
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On a recent afternoon, the head of the Social Inquiry Foundation, Maria Gaidar, received two elderly ladies in her Moscow office.
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The rebels wished to advance from Lutao, but were kept back by the fire from the gunboat Maria Cristina.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Maria Theresa held it in her hand, and looked on it a few seconds with a languid smile.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
"The feelin' you 'ave in your 'eart for a father, wot's planted there by Providence," explained Jane.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
Maria Edgworth, the popular and distinguished authoress, died at her residence in Edgworthstown, Ireland.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
I presume you know that Maria Theresa was a first-rate soldier; or, at least, she had the happy art of finding them.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Ave Maria

Ave Maria

/ (məˈriːə) /

noun

another name for Hail Mary

Word Origin for Ave Maria

C14: from Medieval Latin: hail, Mary!

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012