marine

[ muh-reen ]

/ məˈrin /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR marine ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to the sea; existing in or produced by the sea: marine vegetation.

pertaining to navigation or shipping; nautical; naval; maritime.

serving on shipboard, as soldiers.

of or belonging to the marines.

adapted for use at sea: a marine barometer.

noun

a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.

one of a class of naval troops serving both on shipboard and on land.

seagoing ships collectively, especially with reference to nationality or class; shipping in general.

a picture with a marine subject; seascape.

naval affairs, or the department of a government, as in France, having to do with such affairs.

Nearby words

Idioms

dead marine, Australian Slang. an empty bottle of beer or spirits.

tell it/that to the marines! I don't believe your story; I refuse to be fooled.

Origin of marine

1325–75; Middle English maryne < Middle French marin (feminine marine) < Latin marīnus of the sea, derivative of mare sea; see -ine¹

Related forms

in·ter·ma·rine, adjectivenon·ma·rine, adjective, nounsem·i·ma·rine, adjective, nounsu·per·ma·rine, adjective

un·ma·rine, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for marine

The Navy and Marine Corps versions of the F-35 have differing configurations and rely on an external gun pod.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Among the scores of bystanders watching their small town turn into war zone was a Marine veteran who was close with Stone.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree|M.L. Nestel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Marine reservist then went after his ex-wife, Nicole Hill Stone.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree|M.L. Nestel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stone, according to Marine officials, served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree|M.L. Nestel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I met Klay, a Marine veteran of Iraq, in 2008 at a writing workshop for veterans run by New York University.
The Veteran Who Took Home the National Book Award|Jacob Siegel|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Miocene beds are also marine and are characterized by an abundant molluscan fauna.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4|Various
Both these mills were to be erected on the open spot of ground formerly used as a parade by the marine battalion.
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol. 1|David Collins
My reply was certainly not the truth, for I said that I was not very partial to marine officers.
Percival Keene|Frederick Marryat
The strength of the marine battalion at that time was between five and six hundred men.
Campaigning in Cuba|George Kennan
In the north, the English and Dutch marine gradually take the place of the hanses.
The Stages in the Social History of Capitalism|Henri Pirenne

British Dictionary definitions for marine

marine

/ (məˈriːn) /

adjective (usually prenominal)

of, found in, or relating to the sea

of or relating to shipping, navigation, etc

of or relating to a body of seagoing troopsmarine corps

of or relating to a government department concerned with maritime affairs

used or adapted for use at seaa marine camera

noun

shipping and navigation in generalthe merchant marine

(capital when part of a name) a member of a marine corps or similar body

a picture of a ship, seascape, etc

tell it to the marines informal an expression of disbelief

Word Origin for marine

C15: from Old French marin, from Latin marīnus, from mare sea

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

Word Origin and History for marine

marine

adj.

early 15c., "pertaining to the sea," from Middle French marin, from Old French marin "of the sea, maritime," from Latin marinus "of the sea," from mare "sea, the sea, seawater," from PIE *mori- "body of water, lake" (see mere (n.)). The Old English word was sælic.

marine

14c., "seacoast;" see marine (adj.). Meaning "collective shipping of a country" is from 1660s. Meaning "soldier who serves on a ship" is from 1670s, a separate borrowing from French marine, from the French adjective. Phrase tell that to the marines (1806) originally was the first half of a retort expressing skepticism:

"Upon my soul, sir," answered the lieutenant, "when I thought she scorned my passion, I wept like a child."

"Belay there!" cried the captain; "you may tell that to the marines, but I'll be d----d if the sailors will believe it." ["John Moore," "The Post-Captain; or, the Wooden Walls Well Manned," 1805]

The book, a rollicking sea romance/adventure novel, was popular in its day and the remark is a recurring punch line in it (repeated at least four times). It was written by naval veteran John Davis (1774-1854) but published under the name John Moore. Walsh records that, "The marines are among the 'jolly' jack-tars a proverbially gullible lot, capable of swallowing any yarn, in size varying from a yawl-boat to a full-rigged frigate."

Science definitions for marine

marine

[ mə-rēn′ ]

Relating to the sea.

Relating to a system of open-ocean and unprotected coastal habitats, characterized by exposure to wave action, tidal fluctuation, and ocean currents and by the absence of trees, shrubs, or emergent vegetation. Water in the marine system is at or near the full salinity of seawater. Compare lacustrine palustrine riverine.

marine

adjective

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of marine

Examples from the Web for marine

marine

adjective (usually prenominal)

noun

Word Origin for marine

marine

marine

marine