The roots of "marry" and "marriage" lie in the continuation of humanity through a man and woman's special bond. These words originated from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root mari, meaning young woman, which evolved into Latin maritus (pl: married), referring to a married person, and the Latin verb maritare, meaning to marry, derived from maritus. This Latin term further developed into Old French marier and eventually Middle English marine in the mid-13th century, and by the 14th century, it became Middle English marry, initially spelled mari, ultimately giving us the word marry.

Likewise, from that same PIE-root came Latin maritatus (the past participle of maritare; to marry), then Vulgar Latin maritaticum in the 11th century (to marry, to be given in marriage), followed by Latin maritare (same meaning), then Old French mariage in the 12th century (same), and Middle English marriage in the 13th century (the act of marrying, as well as the state or condition of being husband and wife, matrimony). Hence: marriage.

From this we see how the words "marry" and "marriage" entered the English language. Yet they are not the only key words of importance to explain the meaning and purpose of the special bond between a man and a woman.

The state of being married, or matrimony, originates from the Latin term matrimonium, meaning marriage, which in turn stems from the word matrem, meaning mother. This connection raises the question: why is the concept of marriage rooted in the word for mother?

When the word marry (originally spelled mari) entered the English language, it was complemented by references to the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. At the same time "Mary" had become a common exclamation or oath, used to swear by the holy mother. For example, one might say, "I swear by Mary, what I tell you is true."

While the early Christian Church's marriage customs were rooted in ancient traditions, Christians also compared them to the example of the Virgin Mary (the holy mother), who devoted herself to God to bear His only begotten Son, Jesus.

The Church described this by saying the woman would marry (eventually the extra "r" was added) the man. To marry literally meant to follow the Virgin Mary's example.

Originally, the Middle English spelling for Mary, similar to the word marry, was mari as the Latin alphabet did not have the letter "y". Although it was pronounced differently from its PIE-root mari, just as today mari is pronounced ma:ri in English-speaking countries, and mah-ree (cf. mair-ee, mar-ee) in the Uralic language spoken in Russia's Mari Republic and elsewhere.

It was not until the Bible was translated into the King James Version in 1611 that the "i" was changed to "y".

The example set by the Virgin Mary's devotion to God demonstrated that the bride was a young, innocent woman, just like Mary, when her father gave her to the groom. In other words, she had gone through the unification process just as Mary. After the father had given the bride away, she was considered married, a state that reflected the honor embodied in the name Mary, the Virgin.

Now that we understand the origin, meaning, and importance—the very essence—of the words "marry" and "marriage," three key questions can be raised and answered.

1. Is marriage intrinsically related to the natural ability to parent?

Yes, the fact that the word "marriage" stems from the French word for mother, just as "matrimony" arises from the Latin word for mother, reveals how deeply the gift of nurturing is woven into those words—and into marriage itself.

2. Is marriage explicitly between a man and a woman?

Yes, as the words "marry" and "marriage" entered the English language—particularly through Middle English—they came to mean a state or condition of being husband and wife which complement motherly instincts (e.g. nurturing essence) that only a woman can behold, and fatherly instincts (e.g., protective strength) that only a man can truly offer.

3. Is the word marriage likened to pious considerations?

Yes, the term or word "marry" never appeared in any record before the Christian Church shaped it, which drew its meaning from and wove it together with reverence to the Virgin Mary. In its translation of the Bible into the King James Version, the Church altered the letter "i" to a "y," and in time, added an "r" to craft the word as we more famously know it today.

SOURCES:

• A Dictionary of the English Language, Vol. 3, 1818, cf. Johnson's dictionary 1746-55

• American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, First Edition, 1969

• An Analytical Study of Definitions of the Term “Marriage,” Dr. N. A. Wimalasena, International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan. 2016

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 2, The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Sec. 2, The Seven Sacraments of the Church, Ch. 3, The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

• Copious and Critical Latin-English Dictionary: Abridged and Re-Arranged from Riddle’s Latin-English Lexicon, 1866

• Deacon-structing Marriage: Part 3, Deacon Pedron, Light & Media, July 19, 2015

• Defining Marriage and Legitimacy, Duran Bell, Vol. 38, Is. 2 (Apr. 1997), 237-253

• Dictionary of the English Language: The Origin, History, and Connection of the Languages of Western Asia and Europe, Noah Webster LL.D., London 1828

• Dr. Martin’s Examination of John Careless in Foxe’s Martyls, vol. ii, pg 1742 folio ed., 1597. / Notes and Queries, January 2, 1858

• Essay on the Archaeology of our Popular Phrases and Terms, and Nursery Rhymes, John Bellenden Ker, Esq., Vol. II, 1840

• Etymonline (Online Etymology Dictionary) © 2001-26, Douglas Harper

• Exposition of Genesis, H.C. Leupold (1942)

• History Begins at Sumer, Samuel Noah Kramer (1959)

• History of Marriage, Encyclopedia Americana (1961)

• Language History and Linguistic Modeling, Vol. 1, Language History, 1997

• Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, © 2001-2017

• Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, 21st Edition, 2001

• The Anthropological Meaning of Marriage: Main Lines, Giuseppe Mari, Central European Journal of Educational Research 2(3) 2020. 1–6

• The Century Dictionary, pub. 1909 (org. 1889), cf. The Imperial Dictionary edited by Rev. John Ogilvie

• The Great Globe and All Who It Inherit: Narrative and Dialogue in Story-telling by Halliday, Vygotsky and Shakespeare, David Kellogg, page 204, 2014

• Universal English Dictionary: Comprising the Etymology, Definition, and Pronunciation…, John Craig F.G.S., 1869

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