Mary
Also called Virgin Mary . the mother of Jesus.
the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1,2.
Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, 1867–1953, Queen of England 1910–36 (wife of George V).
Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a term used to refer to or address a gay man (sometimes used facetiously).
a female given name.
Origin of Mary
1usage note For Mary
pronunciation note For Mary
In that region, Mary is pronounced with the same vowel as mare [mair], /mɛər/, marry with the same vowel as mat [mat], /mæt/, and merry with the same vowel as met [met]. /mɛt/.
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 [e], /ɛ/, 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 [fur]. /fɜr/. 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?
Words Nearby Mary
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use Mary in a sentence
Celina was born the following year — then Laurie, Mary, Jenny and finally Michael.
They’re worried their mom is becoming a conspiracy theorist. She thinks they’re the ones living in a fantasy world. | Jose Del Real | March 12, 2021 | Washington PostDan Reynolds, 62, had done odd jobs and repairs for Antonelli and his wife, Mary, at their home in Gaithersburg for several years.
A Maryland man was dying. His longtime handyman gave him a kidney. | Sydney Page | March 12, 2021 | Washington PostMary, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, came to Motown in the early 1960’s.
Mary Wilson, Founding Member Of The Supremes, Has Died At 76 | Brande Victorian | February 9, 2021 | Essence.comHomelessness surged, and in 2016 Amazon began addressing that crisis by backing Mary’s Place, which shelters homeless women and families.
Amazon pledges $2 billion for affordable homes near U.S. cities | Verne Kopytoff | January 6, 2021 | FortuneMary is currently working at the software development company VironIT.
Top 10 Tools to facilitate web development | Mary G. Byrd | September 25, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
He hits bottom at Rocamadour, a sanctuary in the Dordogne known as a citadel of faith devoted to Mary.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President | Pierre Assouline | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTGillingham tells Mary that he wants to make their lives simpler, but it sounds a little like the dying of the light.
Then again, this is not the high-spirited Mary we met in Season 1—indeed, none of the Crawleys are the same.
Maybe Mary is being more realistic about a second marriage—but is it too much to ask for a little fire?
Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon labels the show a “crass stunt” on a “bottom-feeding vortex of sadness network.”
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism | Samantha Allen | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTMary is fair as the morning dew— Cheeks of roses and ribbons of blue!
But Mary had gone home after dressing her mistress, and the fat boy came back again more disturbed than before.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensHe ruminated a little with a most disturbed expression of face, and left the room in search of Mary.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles DickensBy an Act passed in the 4th of William and Mary foreign buttons made of hair were forbidden to be imported.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellMary, apparently much relieved, hurried away with her message.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles Dickens
British Dictionary definitions for Mary (1 of 2)
/ (ˈmɛərɪ) /
original name Princess Mary of Teck. 1867–1953, queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1910–36) by marriage to George V
British Dictionary definitions for Mary (2 of 2)
/ (ˈmɛərɪ) /
New Testament
Saint Mary or the Virgin Mary 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
the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38–42; John 11:1–2)
plural Maries Australian obsolete, derogatory, slang an Aboriginal woman or girl
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
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