marine

[muh-reen]

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.

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 formsin·ter·ma·rine, adjectivenon·ma·rine, adjective, nounsem·i·ma·rine, adjective, nounsu·per·ma·rine, adjectiveun·ma·rine, adjective

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

Related Words for marine

aquatic, naval, maritime, coastal, seagoing, saltwater, deep-sea, oceanic, shore, seashore, seafaring, sea, nautical, seaside, littoral, pelagic, abyssal, navigational, Neptunian, hydrographic

Examples from the Web for marine

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of marine

"Anybody who knows anything about marine engines, follow me," he snapped.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling
Of these, oyster or marine shells, burnt shale, and slag are most common.
American Rural Highways
T. R. Agg
Out of the inanimate rocks had sprung the marine plants—the seaweeds.
The Meaning of Evolution
Samuel Christian Schmucker
It is said, the King is not satisfied with the new Minister of Marine.
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. IX
Various
Rogers was the local dealer in anchors and other marine ironwork.
Cap'n Eri
Joseph Crosby Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for marine

marine

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

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.

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."

marine in Science

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.