Ave Maria
Americannoun
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(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.
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a recitation of this prayer.
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the bead or beads on a rosary used to count off each prayer as spoken.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Ave Maria
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at ave
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome's southern EUR district, bells played "Ave Maria" for Riccardo as hundreds of people spilled out into the street, far too many to fit inside.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
He teamed up with the Barron Collier Companies, a developer that had long owned the land on which Ave Maria sits.
From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2024
Forty students from Ave Maria University in Florida who traveled to Washington said they intended to participate in protests back home.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 20, 2023
It was her rendition of Ave Maria that had earlier caught Fiona's attention.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2021
Obadiah Walker, the Master of the Colleges, was one of the political converts to Roman Catholicism, and it was in ridicule of him that "Old Obadiah, Ave Maria," was sung by the Oxford populace.
From Oxford and Her Colleges by Smith, Goldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
