marryv.
/ˈmari/, U.S. /ˈmɛri/ I. To take, join, or give in marriage.† 6. intransitive. To form a connection with someone through a matrimonial alliance (in quot. ?1477, through the marriage of the children of the two parties). Obsolete. rare.
1.
a. intransitive. To enter into the state of matrimony; to take a husband or wife. Frequently in to get married (see get v. 29b(b)). Also with to, (now regional) with, (Scottish) on, onto, †upon.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (intransitive)]
weda1225
marrya1325
spousec1390
to make matrimonyc1400
intermarry1528
contract1530
to give (also conjoin, join, take) in (also to, into) marriage1535
to make a match1547
yoke1567
match1569
mate1589
to go to church (with a person)1600
to put one's neck in a noosec1600
paira1616
to join giblets1647
buckle1693
espouse1693
to change (alter) one's condition1712
to tie the knot1718
to marry out1727
to wedlock it1737
solemnize1748
forgather1768
unite1769
connubiate1814
conjugalize1823
connubialize1870
splice1874
to get hitched up1890
to hook up1903
a1325 11000 Virgins (Corpus Cambr.) 14 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 443 (MED) He lete hure marie to is sone þat was is eir.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 10653 Þen did þe biscop command þar, Þat all þe maidens..Be send all to þair frendes dere..For to mari and forto spus.
c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) 4475 (MED) Ruth mared with maalon.
1498 in G. Neilson & H. Paton Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1918) II. 245 The sade Jhone requirit hir til mary with an aggreable parti.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Cor. vii. 39 Yf her husbande slepe, she is at her liberte to mary with whom she woll, only in the lorde.
1531 W. Tyndale Answere Mores Dialoge f. xcvij For when the husbonde is deed, the wife is fre to mary to whom she wyll.
c1540 Deposition in Old Ways (1892) 100 Her mynde was determynedly fyxitt that she wolde not marrye with hym.
1590 R. Greene Neuer too Late i. 18 Such as marie but to a faire face, tie themselues oft to a foule bargain.
1615 J. Day Festivals 282 Marrying in hast, and Repenting by leasure.
1647 in W. Stevenson Presbyterie Bk. Kirkcaldie (1900) 308 David Tough who hes deserted his lawfull wyff..and now maried upon another.
a1649 W. Drummond Wks. (1711) 187 That the Church-Race marry only among themselves, Ministers Sons upon Ministers Daughters.
c1680 in Roxburghe Ballads (1891) VII. 468 He told her that he would marry with she, for he was a Man of regarding.
1702 C. Mather Magnalia Christi v. ii. 47/2 An Husband is forbidden to marry with the Consanguines of his Wife.
1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 87 If they did not Marry so soon as they may do otherwise, they would make themselves amends by Marrying safer.
1755 J. Shebbeare Lydia II. xlii. 112 Sir Toby often requested him..never to permit his Daughter to marry with any Man beneath Noble.
a1817 J. Austen Northanger Abbey (1818) I. xv. 298 And to marry for money I think the wickedest thing in existence.—Good day. View more context for this quotation
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I lvii. 31 She married..With an Hidalgo.
1845 Punch 8 1 Advice to those about to marry:—‘Don't.’
1849 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis (1850) I. viii. 80 Gentlemen..occasionally marry out of their kitchens.
1890 M. Oliphant Kirsteen I. v. 83 They too went out into the world, they did not remain to marry and vegetate at home.
1915 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Island xxviii. 238 Mrs. Rachel was dreadfully afraid that Anne was going to make the mistake of marrying for money.
1943 G. Greene Ministry of Fear i. v. 74 Then he married and his friends became his wife's friends.
1977 Reader's Digest Dec. 197 When Lisa and Steve Anderson married, they decided not to have a family right away.
1985 C. Phillips Final Passage 33 I want to marry to him.
1992 Men's Health Nov. 73/1 I'm a veteran of several long-term relationships..but I've yet to marry.
b. intransitive. to marry into: to become a member of a family, etc., by one's marriage; to acquire possession of or access to wealth, etc., by means of marriage. Also (Scottish) with onto, with.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (transitive)] > become connected with by marrying
to match into1647
to marry into1650
1650 R. Stapleton tr. F. Strada De Bello Belgico iii. 53 Disliking his marrying into a Lutheran family.
1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews II. iv. vii. 219 As he had married into such a Family, it became him to endeavour by all Methods to raise it as much as possible. View more context for this quotation
1776 H. Cowley Runaway iv. 57 For these reasons she should marry into a great family.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair xliii. 386 She's of an ancient family that any nobleman might be proud to marry into.
1872 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch II. xxxv. 199 I have six children and have buried three, and I didn't marry into money.
1899 O. Wilde Importance of being Earnest i. 39 You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter..to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel.
1931 Daily Express 21 Sept. 19/1 He married into money, so that I find it difficult to credit that his contemplated return is for the purpose of restoring his balance at the bank.
1946 ‘C. Brahms’ & ‘S. J. Simon’ Trottie True vii. 186 I shall never forget the brou-ha-ha..when Cousin Geraldine married into Trade.
1963 Listener 14 Feb. 274/1 A socialist politician who has married into a farm.
1997 A. Sivanandan When Memory Dies ii. vii. 200 Mrs Ellapola herself came from the deep south, but, having married into the remnants of the Kandyan aristocracy, felt herself a cut above the natives.
c. intransitive. to marry above (also below, beneath) oneself (occasionally also one's match): to marry a person of higher (or lower) social position.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [verb (intransitive)] > marry with social inferior
to marry (a person) with the left hand1700
to marry above (also below, beneath) oneself (occasionally also one's match)1721
to marry down1919
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [verb (intransitive)] > marry with social superior
over-marry1610
to marry above (also below, beneath) oneself (occasionally also one's match)1721
to marry up1908
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 252 Marry above your Match, and you get a Master.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. i. 4 For who will offer to reproach me for marrying, as the World thinks, below me.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela IV. xxxix. 246 A Man, who..marry'd beneath him.
1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park II. xii. 257 Mary was in a state of mind..to be not displeased with her brother's marrying a little beneath him. View more context for this quotation
1860 A. J. Munby Diary 21 Feb. in D. Hudson Munby (1972) 51 Saw Mrs Lock (herself considerably reduced in the world, being in fact a lady who married beneath her).
1876 A. Trollope Prime Minister III. xx. 336 He had married much above himself in every way.
1895 A. W. Pinero Second Mrs. Tanqueray iv. 160 All my family have chucked me over... Jus' because I've married beneath me.
1915 W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage lxxxvii. 456 You laugh, my boy, you can't imagine marrying beneath you. You want a wife who's an intellectual equal.
1995 Independent on Sunday 12 Mar. (Review Suppl.) 25/1 A working-class boofhead with a wife who married beneath herself.
d. intransitive. to marry out: to marry a person of a different community, group, religion, etc. Also to marry out of.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (intransitive)]
weda1225
marrya1325
spousec1390
to make matrimonyc1400
intermarry1528
contract1530
to give (also conjoin, join, take) in (also to, into) marriage1535
to make a match1547
yoke1567
match1569
mate1589
to go to church (with a person)1600
to put one's neck in a noosec1600
paira1616
to join giblets1647
buckle1693
espouse1693
to change (alter) one's condition1712
to tie the knot1718
to marry out1727
to wedlock it1737
solemnize1748
forgather1768
unite1769
connubiate1814
conjugalize1823
connubialize1870
splice1874
to get hitched up1890
to hook up1903
1727 A. Hamilton New Acct. E. Indies I. xxii. 274 All Trades and Occupations being listed into Tribes; none can marry out of their own Tribe.
1898 I. H. Harper Life & Work S. B. Anthony I. 10 The Quaker was not permitted to ‘marry out of the meeting’.
1923 C. Roth Hist. Marranos xii. 316 His son, Jacob Israel Bernal, married out of the faith and left the community.
1957 V. W. Turner Schism & Continuity in Afr. Society ix. 287 Most women marry out at least once.
1964 E. Huxley Back Street New Worlds ii. 20 Jewish women stick much closer to their own kind, with only between one-tenth and one-fifth marrying ‘out’.
1985 New Yorker 13 May 51/2 The ideal is to marry out, but not too far out.
1999 New Republic 19 July 37/1 American Jews were ‘marrying out’ and assimilating rapidly.
e. intransitive. to marry well: to have or make a successful marriage in terms of social status, material gain, or compatibility.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [verb (intransitive)] > have a successful marriage
to marry well1811
1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 74 He's marry'd, as well as his Brother Warrants.]
1811 J. Austen Sense & Sensibility I. iv. 49 Mrs. Ferrars's resolution that both her sons should marry well . View more context for this quotation
1871 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch (1872) I. i. iv. 61 I wish you to marry well; and I have good reason to believe that Chettam wishes to marry you.
1904 H. O. Sturgis Belchamber i. 10 They both married, and married what is called ‘well’, while many of their fairer..sisters were left ungathered on the stem.
1923 R. Macaulay Told by Idiot i. xiii. 50 What chances does a girl want, except to marry well?
1997 N.Y. Times Bk. Rev. 30 Mar. 15/2 Celia has now moved to Italy, married well, dropped 75 pounds and opened a cooking school in a glorious Tuscan farmhouse.
f. intransitive. to marry up: to marry into a social stratum considered higher than one's own; cf. sense 1c.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [verb (intransitive)] > marry with social superior
over-marry1610
to marry above (also below, beneath) oneself (occasionally also one's match)1721
to marry up1908
1908 Jrnl. Royal Anthropol. Inst. 38 229 In intermixture of various peoples, it is more commonly the man who marries up in the social scale.
1919 J. A. Rogers As Nature Leads Prol. 27 ‘The tendency as reported’, says the author, ‘is for the Negro race in Brazil to marry up instead of down.’
1944 W. H. Gilbert Peoples of India 62 A woman would never marry down but most desirably marries up in the social scale.
1949 R. Centers in Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. May 533/1 Are males who are married to women outside their own stratum more commonly married ‘up’ or more commonly married ‘down’?
1967 L. Barić in M. Freedman Social Organization 14 If a woman marries up then she will tend to join her husband and her husband's parents.
1993 C. Ardai Nobody Wins in B. S. Mosiman & M. H. Greenberg Aug. is Good Time for Killing (1998) 121 They weren't Rockefellers, and Rachel had certainly married up when she wed the scion of the Hoeffler clan, but they weren't exactly hurting for cash, either.
2014 Southern Cult. Spring 58 Celia Foote..has abandoned the squalor of her Sugar Ditch upbringing by ‘marrying up’.
g. intransitive. to marry down: to marry into a social stratum considered lower than one's own; cf. sense 1c.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [verb (intransitive)] > marry with social inferior
to marry (a person) with the left hand1700
to marry above (also below, beneath) oneself (occasionally also one's match)1721
to marry down1919
1919 J. A. Rogers As Nature Leads Prol. 27 ‘The tendency as reported’, says the author, ‘is for the Negro race in Brazil to marry up instead of down.’
1942 J. Dollard Victory over Fear xii. 139 The one who marries down fears to be humiliated by his spouse,..fears that the children will take after the inferior partner in the marriage.
1944 W. H. Gilbert Peoples of India 62 A woman would never marry down but most desirably marries up in the social scale.
1949 R. Centers in Sourcebk. Marriage & Family May 533/2 Males of all groups except semiskilled and unskilled laborers are more frequently married down than up.
1991 L. Romanucci-Ross One Hundred Towers 70 All will tell you that he ‘married up’ and she ‘married down’; ‘hers was one of the first families of Ascoli,’ they say.
2014 L. R. Jones Eel River Rising 300 People say I married down and Sam married up but I think I just married easy.
2.
a. In passive, with the agent unexpressed.Used with reference either to the act and ceremony of marriage or to the resulting state of matrimony. Now also sometimes used of couples who are not legally married but whose relationship is recognized as long-term.
(a) transitive. Without construction: to have a spouse; (of two people) to be joined as husband and wife (also with †together).
ΚΠ
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 709 (MED) Þe fader..bad ire vnderstonde To ȝwan sse wolde imaried be.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) 815 (MED) His two dere doȝterez..wer maydenez ful meke, maryed not ȝet.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 129 Ȝif a man þat is maryed dye in that contree, men buryen his wif with him all quyk.
c1480 (a1400) St. Agnes 102 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 349 Þane agnes sad hym schortly: ‘certis, gud sir, maryt ame I’.
1653 G. D. Lumb Reg. Parish of Rothwell (1906) I. v. 274 Willm Atkinson of the pish of Rothwell and Elizabeth Roydhouse of the pish of Kippax were married together the 31st day of January 1653 according to the Act of Parliam'.
1662 S. Pepys Diary 6 Jan. (1970) III. 4 We have, besides a good chine of beef and other good cheer, eighteen mince-pies in a dish, the number of the years that he hath been married.
1722 D. Defoe Relig. Courtship i. i. 5 Well, Girls; you little think now, which of you all is like to be first married.
1821 E. Fry in S. Corder Life (1853) 318 My beloved daughter, Rachel, was married last Fifth-day, the 23rd, at Runcton.
1888 W. D. Howells Annie Kilburn xi. 133 I presume she isn't very happily married; he's too old.
1926 J. Devanny Butcher Shop xxi. 260 Yes, I have been married; but I am not in the habit of discussing my private affairs promiscuously.
1970 B. Cobb Catch Me i. 13 ‘They've only been married a few months. She's still starry-eyed.’ ‘Don't I know it!’
1988 Bella 4 Apr. 28/4 I have been happily married for the last five years.
2009 N. C. Beamon I didn't work this Hard just to get Married xiii. 107 I used to say, ‘I don't want to travel too much until I am married. I don't want to buy a house until I am married.’
(b) transitive. To be joined to another person in marriage. Also with †unto, (Scottish) on, onto, †upon.
ΚΠ
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. ii. 39 Now worth þis Mede ymaried al to a mansed schrewe.
1533 J. Bellenden tr. Livy Hist. Rome (1901) I. 100 Ȝoung tullia,..was maryit on Aruns terquyne.
c1540 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece Hyst. & Cron. Scotl. iv. vi. f. 42/2 The eldest of hir dochteris wes maryid apon..Marius.
c1600 Wriothesley's Chron. Eng. (1875) I. 43 The King was maried secreetlie at Chelsey..to one Jane Seymor.
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue ii. 95 Shee..was married in the end to one of an honest condition, and well to liue.
1779 Mirror No. 17 I was married, about five years ago, to a young man in a good way of business as a grocer.
1856 N. Bouton Hist. Concord 697 Sophia Blanchard. She was married to Samuel L. French, Esq., and resides at Boston, Ms.
1892 World Almanac 266 The eldest daughter, Princess Amelie, born 1865, is married to the present King of Portugal.
1975 F. Exley Pages from Cold Island ii. 17 There was now..a story that he was ‘married’ to a hillbillyishy male television personality.
2015 W. Hershaw Postcairds fae Woodwick Mill 74 He's merrit on Morag Jean.
b. transitive. colloquial. With up: to commit to marriage; usually in passive (= sense 2).Cf. quot. 1698 at sense 5a.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (transitive)] > join in marriage
wedOE
join1297
spousec1325
bind1330
couplea1340
to put togethera1387
conjoin1447
accouple1548
matea1593
solemnize1592
espouse1599
faggot1607
noose1664
to give (also conjoin, join, take) in (also to, into) marriage1700
rivet1700
to tie the knot1718
buckle1724
unite1728
tack1732
wedlock1737
marry1749
splice1751
to turn off1759
to tie up1894
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (transitive)] > tie up in matrimony
marry1749
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones III. vii. x. 77 I..had locked her up carefully, intending the very next Morning to have married her up to my Liking. View more context for this quotation
1822 J. Flint Lett. from Amer. 225 I believe that the girls there are all married up.
1857 C. Kingsley Two Years Ago II. 8 Married up, when a girl, to a man for whom she did not care.
1865 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 274 My only fear about her is that she will be married-up away from me.
1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. xvi. 292 I would have married her up to my poor boy, if he had but lived.
1909 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Avonlea xxix. 349 Then Steve Irving goes to the States and after a spell gets married up there.
1958 Times 15 Feb. 7/3 Now that poverty-stricken Jordan is married up with a rich relation.
1982 Underground Grammarian Sept. 6/1 A nuptial extravaganza in which a thousand or so..were more or less married up with a like number.
2002 N. Minhas Chapatti or Chips? vi. 83 You can shut up. You come here all married up and try to lecture me. Think about it, woman, which one of us is in the wrong?
3.
a. transitive. Of a parent, guardian, etc.: to give in marriage, to direct or arrange the marriage of; †to provide a dowry for, to endow the marriage of (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (transitive)] > give in marriage
spousea1225
marryc1325
(to give, have) to warisonc1330
to give (also conjoin, join, take) in (also to, into) marriage1340
wedc1374
betakea1382
bestowc1405
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 700 Ich þe wole marie wel..To þe nobloste bacheler þat þin herte wile to stonde.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 8932 (MED) Þe king of al engelond gret raunson nom Vor to marie is doȝter.
c1395 G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale 1130 Richely his doghter maried he Vnto a lord.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 2332 In þis tyme..he maried þe toþer douhtres boþe.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 18 (MED) He wald hafe maried me richely with a grete prince doghter.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 18 She knew welle that folke were aboute to marie us togedre.
a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 358 (MED) Iames yaf to his moder..iij mark of siluere and j half to mary his sustirs.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xxii. f. xxxv The kyngdome of heven is lyke vnto a certayne kinge, which maryed his sonne.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iv. ii. 208 What a father doth to marie his daughter wel, is to give her a great portion in mariage.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iii. iv. 82 Good mother, do not marry me to yond foole. View more context for this quotation
a1633 G. Herbert Outlandish Prov. (1640) sig. A6v Marry your sonne when you will; your daughter when you can.
1673 J. Dryden Marriage a-la-Mode i. i. 5 My old man has already marry'd me; for he has agreed with another old man, as rich and as covetous as himself; the Articles are drawn.
c1710 C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 141 Ye Earle having just marry'd his Eldest daughter..there was Company to wishe her joy.
a1754 H. Fielding Fathers (1778) ii. i. 29 I will neither marry my daughter to a spindle shank'd beau, nor my son to a rampant woman of quality.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xi. 108 They little thought they had married her to a madman.
1894 S. Baring-Gould Deserts S. France II. 248 Napoleon married him..to his youngest sister.
1931 P. S. Buck Good Earth xxii. 229 I will betroth him and we will marry him early.
1975 ‘R. Player’ Let's talk of Graves iv. 149 Her parents married her to..a wealthy landowner.
b. transitive. to marry off: to dispose of by marriage, to secure a spouse for (a daughter, etc.).
ΚΠ
a1701 C. Sedley tr. D. A. de Brueys & J. Palaprat Grumbler i. vii, in Wks. (1722) II. 159 You had yesterday resolv'd to marry off your Children to Advantage.
1751 R. Paltock Life Peter Wilkins II. xxiii. 285 Such as were fit for it were married off to the best Alliances in the Country.
1793 J. O'Keeffe World in Village iv. iii. 31 Flashing away to procure a little civility, or to marry off his sister.
1860 Queen Victoria Let. 18 Dec. in Dearest Child (1964) 292 I do wish somebody would go and marry her off—at once.
1865 M. C. Harris St. Philip's viii. 59 If the young girls did not mind being..finally married off to some of her protégés, it was all very well.
1894 V. Hunt Maiden's Progress i. 2 I sincerely hope you will be married off before I come on, or I shall have no peace.
1908 Smart Set June 14/1 Mr. Hardcastle was insisting upon marrying off Aunt Ella to Señor Dominguez y Aguirra.
1973 ‘E. Ferrars’ Foot in Grave viii. 150 I've worked quite hard at trying to get you married off.
1989 B. Mukherjee Jasmine (1990) vi. 39 A daughter had to be married off before she could enter heaven.
4. transitive (reflexive). To enter into matrimony, to take a husband or wife; = sense 1a. Also in extended use. Now rare (chiefly poetic and regional in later use).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (reflexive)]
spousea1225
weda1225
spouse1340
marryc1350
matchc1400
mingle1487
nuptialize1678
c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 41 (MED) Goddes son..mariȝed hym to þe flesshe clene wiþouten synne.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 10698 (MED) Þai suld lok hu Sco [sc. Mary] moght hir mari.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xi. 281 Maydenes and maydenes marien [v.rr. marye, marieþ] ȝow to-gederes.
a1450 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Harl. 4866) (1897) 1632 (MED) Þey þat marien hem for muk & good Only..al hir lyf þei lede in heuynesse.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 59/2 To marry himself, whom hee shoulde happelye neuer loue.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Wisd. viii. 2 I dyd my diligence to mary my self with her, soch loue had I vnto hir beutye.
1621 M. Wroth Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania 454 The young Princesse soone after tooke her minde and former resolution, marrying her selfe with her chosen loue.
1638 A. Cant Serm. 13 June (1741) 20 Behold the King's Son will marry himself upon thee!
1697 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ I. i. xxvi. 159 No Athenian Woman shall marry her self into an exotick Family.
1732 T. Stackhouse New Hist. Bible (1767) VI. viii. v. 512 So blind and incogitant that his Empress Messalina married herself to another man.
a1774 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer Epil., in Misc. Wks. (1801) II. 116 Ah me! when shall I marry me? Lovers are plenty; but fail to relieve me.
1818 W. Scott Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. IV. iii. 71 Tell me, thou bonny bird, When shall I marry me?
1853 E. C. Gaskell My French Master ii, in Househ. Words 24 Dec. 390/2 Next Tuesday I marry myself to Miss Susan Dobson.
1914 S. Lewis Our Mr. Wrenn xviii. 247 Maybe I'll marry myself with a local magnate in desperation.
5.
a. transitive. To take or accept as one's husband or wife.In quot. 1698 with up; cf. sense 2b.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (transitive)]
bewedc1000
bespousec1175
wieldc1275
marrish1340
wedc1380
geta1393
takea1400
espouse?1435
marry1441
couplec1540
contract1599
to take on1611
consort?1615
to take to one's bosom1881
nuptial1887
1441 in Trans. E. Lothian Antiquarian & Field Naturalists' Soc. (1948) 4 35 Scho was contentit to marie him.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1871) III. 439 He [sc. Alexander]..suffrede his knyȝhtes and men to mary [a1387 J. Trevisa tr. wedde] women whom he had taken in captivite.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 37 [He] had maryte king Latynis sister.
1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. I. ii. x. sig. P.ijv/1 That vsuall prouerbe: Marrie a wife of thine owne degree.
1611 Bible (King James) Mal. ii. 11 Iudah..hath maried the daughter of a strange God. View more context for this quotation
1698 J. Collier Short View Immorality Eng. Stage iv. 154 This Spark..makes a lucky Hand on't at last, and marries up a rich Lady.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 94. ¶8 He married a Woman of great Beauty and Fortune.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones V. xiii. vi. 48 Let my Daughters marry whom they will, I shall endeavour to make them Blessings to their Husbands. View more context for this quotation
1830 Ld. Tennyson Mermaid in Poems 29 The king of them all would carry me, Woo me, and win me, and marry me.
1888 F. Hume Madame Midas i. i. 17 He had added to his crime by marrying a pretty girl.
1946 D. L. Sayers Unpop. Opinions 111 She was in love with Leicester—why didn't she marry him?
1992 H. Owen Littlejohn vi. 72 Maurice Bunce already had took a shine to her and would marry her within the year.
b. transitive. To obtain (something) by getting married. Chiefly in to marry money: to marry a wealthy person (often implying a material motive).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [verb (intransitive)] > marry rich person
to marry money1631
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > action or fact of marrying > marry [verb (transitive)] > obtain (something) by getting married
marry1631
1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre v. ii. 71 in Wks. II Why should not I marry this sixe thousand pound, now I thinke on 't?
1640 J. Fletcher & J. Shirley Night-walker iii. sig. F2 He married the mony, thats all he lookt for, For your daughter, let her sinke or swimme.
1723 R. Steele Conscious Lovers i. ii. 15 A Woman that is espous'd for a Fortune, is yet a better Bargain, if she dies; for then a Man still enjoys what he did marry, the Money; and is disencumber'd of what he did not marry, the Woman.
1858 A. Trollope Dr. Thorne I. xiv. 297 He must marry money, or he will be a ruined man.
1911 L. J. Vance (title) Marrying money.
1914 J. Joyce Dubliners 98 There'll be no mooning and spooning about it. I mean to marry money.
1936 G. Herzog & C. G. Blooah Jabo Prov. from Liberia 180 If you marry a beautiful woman, you marry trouble.
1971 ‘G. Charles’ Destiny Waltz viii. 290 He married money you know... He went after a girl who had absolutely everything.
1991 ‘W. Trevor’ Reading Turgenev x, in Two Lives (1992) 74 Her mother's sister had married money, it was said, a statement invariably followed by the reminder that the money hadn't lasted.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > betrothal > betroth [verb (transitive)] > make marriage contract with, for another
marry?1477
?1477 E. Brews in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 435 Myn husbonde..wold that ȝe schuld go vn-to my maistresse yowr modur and asaye if ȝe myght gete the hole xx li. in-to ȝowr handes, and then he wolde be more gladd to marye wyth ȝowe and will gyffe ȝowe an c li.
7. † a. transitive. Of a wedding ring: to solemnize the marriage of. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1528 in J. S. Brewer Lett. & Papers Reign Henry VIII (1872) (modernized text) IV. ii. 2244 A silver gilt box, with the ring that married Henry VI and his Queen.
b. transitive. Of a priest, minister, registrar, etc.: to officiate at the marriage of. Also (occasionally) intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > wedding or nuptials > celebrate (a marriage) [verb (transitive)] > marry (of priest or functionary)
wedOE
sacrec1425
marry1530
espouse1599
to give (also conjoin, join, take) in (also to, into) marriage1700
unite1728
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 633/1 What preest was it that maryed them togyther: quel prestre fut ce qui les marya ensemble?
1559 in J. Strype Ann. Reformation (1709) I. xiv. 183 As to minister the Holy Communion to them that shall be thereto disposed, as to mary and baptize.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iv. i. 117 Come sister, you shall be the Priest, and marrie vs. View more context for this quotation
1638 Penit. Conf. (1657) xi. 306 The Priest is to marry him and to give the Benediction.
1702 Wilmslow Parish Reg. in J. P. Earwaker E. Cheshire (1877) I. 99 Were lately married by a couple begger.
1715 J. Gay What d'ye call It ii. ix. 39 Tell him..that he [sc. the curate] shall marry the Couple himself.
1782 Gentleman's Mag. 52 16 Patrico, or patercove,..stroling priests that marry under a hedge.
1832 F. Marryat Newton Forster II. xvi. 221 I..married a couple on board of a..ten-gun brig.
1891 Cent. Mag. Nov. 64 He asked if I could marry people.
1920 W. B. Money Humours of Parish 142 I was marrying her daughter to a very nice young man.
1981 M. West Clowns of God iv. 106 I hope to God I can be honest with the man who married us.
1996 World's Fair 11 Oct. 12/5 They were married on a three-feet high tightrope at Bath Register Office by registrar Sheila Morris.
II. Extended uses.† 9. transitive. To handcuff together. Cf. married adj. 2b. Obsolete. rare.† 10. transitive. Nautical. To splice (two ropes) together without any resulting increase in girth; to bring together (two ropes) so that they can be hauled together equally. Obsolete.
8.
a. transitive. To unite intimately, to join closely or permanently; to correlate, link together (also with up); to cause or enable to blend together.In quot. c1450 referring to the tie between a cathedral and its bishop.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fact or action of being joined or joining > join (together) [verb (transitive)] > join closely, intimately, or permanently
tiec1000
limea1225
knit1340
sold1388
marryc1450
compact1530
spear?1548
solder1589
cementc1604
ferruminate1623
bewed1674
weld1802
wed1818
Siamese1830
intermarry1863
to pull together1925
mate1959
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > management of plants > [verb (transitive)] > join together
marry1649
c1450 in T. Wright Polit. Poems & Songs (1861) II. 225 The churche of Chester..crieth..that to suche a mafflarde marryede she was.
c1475 Mankind (1969) 347 (MED) I wolde yowr mowth and hys ars þat þ[i]s made Wer maryede junctly together.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Knychthede (1993) ii. 10 He takis thare a grete honoure, maryte with a grete seruitute.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Knychthede (1993) iv. 28 And a lord mary nocht hye parage, and knychthede togeder.
a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) f. 293v This conformyte of loue, maryeth the soule to god.
1576 A. Fleming tr. J. Caius Of Eng. Dogges 37 The natures of men is so moued, nay rather marryed to nouelties.
1612 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. iii. sig. D4v Svb. Are you sure, you loos'd 'hem, I' their owne menstrue? Fac. Yes, Sir, and then married 'hem. View more context for this quotation
1613 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals I. v. 93 And on the banckes a Swaine (with Lawrell crown'd) Marrying his sweet Noates with their siluer sound.
1645 J. Milton L'Allegro in Poems 36 Lap me in soft Lydian Aires, Married to immortal verse.
1649 J. Ogilby tr. Virgil Georgics i. (init.) In what Cœlestial Signs 'Tis good to Plow, and marry Elms with Vines.
1673 N. Grew Acct. Vegetation of Roots in Idea Phytol. Hist. 115 It is the Oyl chiefly by which Bodies are tough: for being of it self viscous and tenacious, by taking hold of other Principles, marries them together.
1693 J. Evelyn tr. J. de La Quintinie Compl. Gard'ner ii. v. xvii. 115 They must be joyn'd together neatly, plaining and proportioning the Extremities that are to be Marry'd together exactly.
1796 E. Burke Let. to Noble Lord 33 Revolutions which consolidated and married the liberties and the interests of the two nations for ever.
1835 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece I. 360 The unequal lines of the couplets to which he married his fiery thoughts.
1887 G. Saintsbury Hist. Elizabethan Lit. ix. 342 This hybrid and bizarre vocabulary is..admirably married to the substance of the writing.
1908 Daily Chron. 19 Aug. 4/7 By ‘marrying’ or blending the wine from different vineyards he discovered that there resulted an effervescing wine.
1925 H. Belloc Mr. Petre vi. 150 A genius who could marry the commonest tricks to unheard rapidity and daring.
1942 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) 2 97 They already have had the idea of taking photos of the countryside and marrying them up with similar areas on a map.
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 3 Oct. 567/4 It is always something of a problem with a heavily illustrated book to know how best to marry a long text with the illustrations relating to it.
1963 Times 24 Apr. 12/7 Rolls-Royce believe that their success with a combination of silica and aluminium opens up the possibility of ‘marrying’ different types of ceramics and metals.
1976 Sunday Post (Glasgow) 26 Dec. 14/1 (advt.) The process demands ‘marrying’ the whiskies in oak casks.
1996 Village Voice (N.Y.) 12 Mar. 66/2 Ives's massive tone clusters and fluid contrapuntal textures seemed married to the piano.
b. intransitive. To join, link up; to blend; (of whisky, wine, etc.) to age or mature. Now chiefly with up, with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > manufacture of alcoholic drink > [verb (intransitive)] > mellow or mature
marry1568
mellow1737
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fact or action of being joined or joining > be or become joined together [verb (intransitive)] > be or become closely, intimately, or permanently joined
enchainc1400
solder1470
marry1568
knit1617
weld1802
shell1942
1568 (a1508) W. Kennedy Flyting (Bannatyne) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 210 Syne merreit with the diuill for dignite.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 138 And since he first divorced knowledge and practice in our first Parents, he is loath they should ever marry againe.
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam lxxxiii. 122 First love, first friendship, equal powers That marry with the virgin heart. View more context for this quotation
1855 Ld. Tennyson Brook in Maud & Other Poems 105 I..crost By that old bridge.., where the waters marry.
1931 E. Bowen Friends & Relations (1982) i. iv. 71 Sky and earth married in light.
1960 T. McLean Kings of Rugby xi. 170 Risman began to bear to the left to marry up with the outside backs.
1963 Harper's Bazaar Aug. 26 Blended..the whisky must now ‘marry’ another year before bottling.
1969 New Yorker 20 Sept. 164/2 Gazpacho..should rest and ‘marry’ for a time before being eaten.
1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face App. C. 257 I preferred to keep things as simple as possible, eliminating any risk of parts failing to marry up.
1988 Observer 17 Jan. (Colour Suppl.) 55/2 The Pomerol..marries so well with well-hung game.
ΚΠ
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue sig. Q1v Persons chained or handcuffed together, in order to be conveyed to gaol, or on board the lighters for transportation, are in the cant language said to be married together.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > rope-making > make rope [verb (transitive)] > splice
shoot1499
splice1524
marry1815
1815 W. Burney Falconer's New Universal Dict. Marine (rev. ed.) Marry, in splicing ropes, is to join one rope to another, for the purpose of reeving it, which is performed by placing the end of each close together, and then attaching them by worming.
1815 W. Burney Falconer's New Universal Dict. Marine (rev. ed.) To marry two ropes, is to knot the yarns together in a kind of splice, so as not to be thicker at the juncture than at any other part.
c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 29 Marry both ends together.
1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships Royal Navy 92 Take the ends of two yarns, split them..marry them together and form a reef-knot.
11. transitive (in passive). Cards. Of the king or queen in bezique, pinochle, and related games: to be declared as held in the same hand with the queen or king of the same suit. Also (occasionally) intransitive, of a card: to be part of such a hand. Cf. marriage n. 5b.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics > show card(s) to claim score
marry1861
meld1887
1861 Macmillan's Mag. Dec. 138/2 No king or queen married can be married again.
1870 ‘Cavendish’ Game of Bézique 20 The bézique queen..having been once married..cannot be married again.
1963 G. F. Hervey Handbk. Card Games 26 Kings and queens can marry, but Aces cannot.
1990 D. Parlett Oxf. Guide Card Games xxi. 288 Jack of trumps..may be married to a plain Queen for 20..provided that she has already been married to the King.
12. transitive. Stock Market. To reconcile or maintain a balance between (the purchase and sale of stocks or shares), esp. in order to trade without any capital expenditure.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > deal in stocks and shares [verb (transitive)] > specific operations
subscribe1618
to take up1655
to sell out1721
to take in1721
to take up1740
pool?1780
capitalize1797
put1814
feed1818
to vote (the) stock (or shares)1819
corner1836
to sell short1852
promote1853
recapitalize1856
refund1857
float1865
water1865
margin1870
unload1870
acquire1877
maintain1881
syndicate1882
scalp1886
pyramid1888
underwrite1889
oversubscribe1891
joint-stock1894
wash1895
write1908
mark1911
split1927
marry1931
stag1935
unwind1958
short1959
preplace1966
unitize1970
bed and breakfast1974
index-link1974
warehouse1977
daisy-chain1979
strip1981
greenmail1984
pull1986
1931 Economist 10 Oct. 675/1 The shareholders..can do nothing, for the Trust only agrees to ‘marry’ buying orders for clients against selling orders.
1959 Economist 21 Mar. 1099/1 The brokers in these shares then find it convenient to ‘marry’ the buying and selling orders.
13. transitive (in passive). To be devoted to or occupied by a job, hobby, etc., to an excessive degree or to the exclusion of everything else.No evidence has been found for the phrase reported in quot. 1937; but cf. quots. 1785 at Brown Bess n., 1809 at Brown Bess n.
ΚΠ
1935 F. Nash (title) Married to the past.
1937 E. Partridge Dict. Slang 510/2 Married to Brown Bess, (having) enlisted: military: late C. 18–19.]
1983 J. Finch (title) Married to the job: wives' incorporation in men's work.
1988 (title of film) Married to the mob.
1992 T. McMillan Waiting to Exhale (1993) 14 The ones who were..so married to their jobs that they hardly had any time left for themselves.
14. transitive. To assemble (an antique object) by joining two or more components differing in provenance, date, etc.; to join (distinct components) in this way. Cf. marriage n. 5d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > oldness or ancientness > [verb (transitive)] > assemble antiques from different parts
marry1949
1949 [implied in: T. H. Ormsbee Care & Repair of Antiques iii. 48 Be certain that the piece under consideration is not a ‘married’ one, assembled from stray bottom and top sections, as indicated with secretaries. (at married adj. 2c)].
1958 Connecticut Hist. Soc. Apr. 53 This last piece..was once offered to several dealers and collectors, but was turned down as suspect. The chest itself is undoubtedly old and so are the feet, though the two are obviously married.
1973 Washington Post 13 Jan. e16/4 Outright fakery is less prevalent than misrepresentation—such as marrying pieces.
1986 J. Bly Is it Genuine? 53 The presence of veneer does not necessarily mean that the two parts have been married, but the absence of veneer is always a good sign.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2000; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
marryint.
/ˈmari/, U.S. /ˈmɛri/ Now archaic.
1. Expressing surprise, astonishment, outrage, etc., or used to give emphasis to one's words. (Often in response to a question, expressing surprise or indignation that it should be asked).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > religious oaths (referring to God) > (originally) with reference to Mary
marrya1375
Marya1375
by (our) lakin1496
by the Mary mass1532
by God's mother?1544
marry (and) amenc1574
God's lady1589
marry-go-look1590
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 4840 (MED) Marie, sire..þe milde mayde meliors in palerne now dwelles.
c1395 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale 1062 Ye sire and wol ye so. Marie ther of I pray yow hertely.
a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 566 Mary, felaw, gramercy! I wolde be ryche.
c1475 Mankind (1969) 398 (MED) No, mary, I beschrew yow, yt ys in spadibus.
1551 T. Lever Serm. xiiii. December (new ed.) sig. F.iv Yea marrye, why should we not kepe oure corne in oure owne barnes?
1552 H. Latimer Serm. (1584) 227 b What is that? Marry fayth: and beliefe.
1602 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor i. i. 153 I will say mary [1623 marry] trap. And there's the humor of it.
1605 A. Willet Hexapla in Genesin 405 Many suddenlie will say (marye) hauing no intent to sweare.
1693 W. Congreve Old Batchelour i. i. 7 Marry quotha! I hope in Heaven, I have a greater portion of Grace.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xii. 120 Marry, hang the ideot..to bring me such stuff.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary III. vi. 125 Marry, my lord, the phoca had the better.
1855 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Yorks. Words 109 One person says, ‘It is coming on rain,’ the other will add, ‘Ay Marrey! it is, sure enough’.
1897 W. Beatty Secretar 133 Marry! I was forgetting that—but I am sore bestead.
1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor i. iv. 41 Marry, I have done with the twain of you!
2. In phrases.† a. In asseverative phrases, as marry (a) God, marry (and) amen, marry of God, God's marry, marry a me, marry of me. Obsolete.In many cases reflecting asseverative phrases used with Mary; see Mary n.1 1b.† b. In interjectional or exclamatory phrases, as marry gip, marry (and) gup (also gap, gep, guep, and in Scott quep) (cf. gip int., gup int., quep int.), marry faugh, marry-go-look (in quot. 1601 used as n.). See also marry muff int. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > religious oaths (referring to God) > miscellaneous
depardieuc1290
by God's namec1330
by God's roodc1330
by God's eyes1340
God's soul1345
for God's sakec1386
cock's soulc1405
God's armsc1405
by God's dooma1425
(by) (God's) nailsa1500
by God's fast?1515
God's lord?1520
God's sacramenta1529
God's dominusc1530
by God's crown1535
God's bread1535
God's gown1535
God's guts1543
of God's word?1550
God's hat1569
Gods me1570
marry (a) Godc1574
God's malt1575
God's ludd?1577
God's sacring?1577
God's sokinges?1577
trunnion?1577
(by) God's will1579
God's teeth1580
'Shearta1596
God's light1598
by God's me1599
'Snails1599
'Slight1600
God's diggers1602
'Swill1602
od's mea1616
od's my lifea1616
'Sprecious1631
'Sbores1640
odso1660
for sake('s) sake1665
Gad's precious1677
heartlikins1677
od1681
'Sdiggers1687
(Lord) love you (also your heart)1707
God's fury1748
heartikins1751
S'fire1791
nom de Dieu1848
'strewth1892
Lord lumme1895
lumme1898
the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > religious oaths (referring to God) > (originally) with reference to Mary
marrya1375
Marya1375
by (our) lakin1496
by the Mary mass1532
by God's mother?1544
marry (and) amenc1574
God's lady1589
marry-go-look1590
c1574–5 G. Harvey Story of Mercy Harvey in Wks. (1885) III. 94 By ye Marie-god.
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. iv. 35 God forgiue me. Marrie and Amen: how sound is she a sleepe. View more context for this quotation
1600 Looke about You sig. E3v Mary a god my wife would chide me dead.
1600 Looke about You sig. F73 Marry of God dyd I, thou lying knaue?
1600 Looke about You sig. H Mary of me good fellow, I did think thou hadst bin robd.
1600 Looke about You sig. H4 Gods mary knaue, how long hath she bin heere?
1600 Looke about You sig. K4v Mary a me, and I was charg'd with it.
1606 T. Heywood 2nd Pt. If you know not Me sig. C Shake hands, by the Marie god, sir Thomas what else.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) iv. ii. 103 God buy you good sir Topas: Marry Amen. I will sir, I will. View more context for this quotation
1695 W. Congreve Love for Love iii. i. 34 Miss, Miss, Miss Prue—Mercy on me, marry and Amen: Why, what's become of the Child?
1814 W. Scott Waverley II. ix. 157 ‘Marry, and amen,’ said the temporal magistrate. View more context for this quotation
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > religious oaths (referring to God) > (originally) with reference to Mary
marrya1375
Marya1375
by (our) lakin1496
by the Mary mass1532
by God's mother?1544
marry (and) amenc1574
God's lady1589
marry-go-look1590
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 1455 Thynke what ye wyll Of this wanton byll; By Mary Gipcy, Quod scripsi, scripsi.]
1590 R. Greene Neuer too Late ii. sig. C4 Marrie gippe Giglet, thy loue sits on thy tonges end.
1592 J. Lyly Midas v. ii Melancholy? marie gup, is melancholy a word for a barbars mouth?
1598 E. Guilpin Skialetheia iii. sig. C7v Mary and gup! haue I then lost my cap?
1600 T. Dekker Shomakers Holiday sig. Cv I..lookt at him, he at me indeed, spake to him, but he not to me, not a word, mary gup thought I with a wanion, he passt by me as prowde, mary foh, are you growne humorous thought I?
1601 A. Munday Downfall Earle of Huntington sig. A4 He thinketh all lost, In tumbling of bookes Of Mary goe lookes.
1605 G. Chapman et al. Eastward Hoe i. sig. A3v Mary fough goodman flat-cap.
1631 J. Mabbe tr. F. de Rojas Spanish Bawd xviii. 179 Imbrace him? Mary gup with a murraine! I had rather see him under the power and rigour of the law.
1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. iii. 178 I thought th' hadst scorn'd to budge a step, For fear. (Quoth Echo) Marry guep. Am not I here to take thy part?
1676 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer iii. i Marry-gep! if it had not been for me, thou hadst been yet but a hearing-counsel at the bar.
1699 ‘P. Misiatrus’ Honour of Gout (1720) 34 Marry Gap, quoth she.
1727 M. Davys Accomplish'd Rake 153 Aye, marry Gep, are You so stout?
1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I. iv. 109 Marry quep of your advice.
1825 W. Scott Betrothed ix, in Tales Crusaders I. 174 Marry quep, my cousin the weaver.
c. marry come up: expressing indignant or amused surprise or contempt.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > exclamations of contempt [interjection]
prut?c1300
trutc1330
truptc1380
ahaa1400
tushc1440
puff1481
quotha?1520
ah?1526
ta ha1528
twish1577
blurt1592
gip1592
pish1592
tantia1593
(God) bless (also save) the mark1593
phah1593
marry come up1597
mew1600
pooh1600
marry muff1602
pew waw1602
ptish1602
pew1604
push1605
pshaw1607
tuh1607
pea1608
poh1650
pooh pooh1694
hoity-toity1695
highty-tighty1699
quoz?1780
indeed1834
shuck1847
skidoo1906
suck1913
zut1915
yah boo1921
pooey1927
ptui1930
snubs1934
upya1941
yah boo sucks1980
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > surprise, unexpectedness > exclamation of surprise [interjection] > mingled with contempt
marry come up1597
hoity-toity1695
highty-tighty1699
1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet ii. iv. 62 Marry come vp,..is this the poultesse for mine aking boanes?
1616 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Scornful Ladie iii. sig. F2v Marry come vp my gentleman, are your gummes growne so tender they cannot bite?
1642 J. Eaton Honey-combe Free Justific. 14 Taunting and reproachfull termes, as, Marry come up.
1663 A. Cowley Cutter of Coleman-St. i. ii. 2 Marry come up; Wo'nt one o' my choosing serve your turn, as well As one o' your own.
1738 J. Swift Treat. Polite Conversat. ii. 67 A Kiss! marry come up my dirty Couzin.
1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews II. iv. i. 176 Slipslop..departed tossing her Nose and crying, ‘Marry come up! there are some People more jealous than I, I believe.’ View more context for this quotation
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones IV. x. iv. 32 Her Tongue..muttered many ‘marry-come-ups’..with other such indignant Phrases. View more context for this quotation
1798 J. S. Murray Virtue Triumphant ii. ii Let's have none of your sauce, Mrs. Minx. Marry come up!
1820 W. Scott Abbot I. xv. 323 ‘Marry come up—are you there with your bears?’ muttered the dragon, with a draconic sullenness.
1862 G. Borrow Wild Wales I. xxiv. 276 Unworthy? marry come up! I won't hear such an expression.
1891 Murray's Mag. Mar. 311 Marry come up! You make as much work in the house in a day as Master Ginckel 'ud make in a week.
1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor ii. xxix. 438 Marry come up, there never was the like of him in the history of the world!
1980 E. Jong Fanny ii. vii. 229 ‘Marry come up,’ says I, ‘I'll not mock you for it, I swear.’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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