What is "marriage"

Marriage \Mar"riage\, n. [OE. mariage, F. mariage. See Marry, v. t.]

1. The act of marrying, or the state of being married; legal union of a man and a woman for life, as husband and wife; wedlock; matrimony.

   Marriage is honorable in all.
   --Heb. xiii. 4.

2. The marriage vow or contract. [Obs.]
   --Chaucer.

3. A feast made on the occasion of a marriage.

   The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son.
   --Matt. xxii. 2.

4. Any intimate or close union.

5. In pinochle, b['e]zique, and similar games at cards, the combination of a king and queen of the same suit. If of the trump suit, it is called a royal marriage. Marriage brokage.

   1. The business of bringing about marriages.

   2. The payment made or demanded for the procurement of a marriage.

      Marriage favors, knots of white ribbons, or bunches of white flowers, worn at weddings.

      Marriage settlement (Law), a settlement of property in view, and in consideration, of marriage.

      Syn: Matrimony; wedlock; wedding; nuptials.

      Usage: Marriage, Matrimony, Wedlock. Marriage is properly the act which unites the two parties, and matrimony the state into which they enter. Marriage is, however, often used for the state as well as the act. Wedlock is the old Anglo-Saxon term for matrimony.

c.1300, "action of marrying, entry into wedlock;" also "state or condition of being husband and wife, matrimony, wedlock;" from Old French mariage "marriage; dowry" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *maritaticum (11c.), from Latin maritatus, past participle of maritatre "to wed, marry, give in marriage" (see marry (v.)). The Vulgar Latin word also is the source of Italian maritaggio, Spanish maridaje.\n

\nMeaning "a union of a man and woman for life by marriage, a particular matrimonial union" is early 14c. Meanings "the marriage vow, formal declaration or contract by which two join in wedlock;" also "a wedding, celebration of a marriage; the marriage ceremony" are from late 14c. Figurative use (non-theological) "intimate union, a joining as if by marriage" is from early 15c.[W]hen two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition until death do them part. [G.B. Shaw, preface to "Getting Married," 1908] Marriage counseling recorded by 1939. Marriage bed, figurative of marital intercourse generally, is attested from 1580s (bed of marriage is from early 15c.).

n. 1 The state of being marry. (from 14th c., Douglas Harper, accessed on 2012-04-11) 2 A union of two or more people that creates a family tie and carries legal and/or social rights and responsibilities. (from 14th c.) 3 # (context often specifically English) The union of any two people, to the exclusion of all others. 4 # (context sometimes specifically English) The union of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others. 5 A wedding; a ceremony in which people wed. (from 14th c.) 6 (context figuratively English) A close union. (from 15th c.) 7 A joining of two parts. 8 (context card games English) A king and a queen, when held as a hand in Texas hold 'em or melded in pinochle. 9 (context card games English) In solitaire or patience games, the placing a card of the same suit on the next one above or below it in value.

1. n. the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce); "a long and happy marriage"; "God bless this union" [syn: matrimony, union, spousal relationship, wedlock]

2. two people who are married to each other; "his second marriage was happier than the first"; "a married couple without love" [syn: married couple, man and wife]

3. the act of marrying; the nuptial ceremony; "their marriage was conducted in the chapel" [syn: wedding, marriage ceremony]

4. a close and intimate union; "the marriage of music and dance"; "a marriage of ideas"

Marriage (, Zhenit'ba) is a play by the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, which was first published in 1842.

Marriage is a 1954 Italian comedy film directed by Antonio Petrucci. It consists of three segments, based on three stage plays by Anton Chekhov.

Marriage is the debut album from Canadian rock band Attack in Black, released July 31, 2007. The album was released by Dine Alone Records as both a CD and through digital download. The album won "NXNE Favourite New Indie Record Release" at the 2007 CASBY Awards.

Marriage is a socially or ritually recognized union, or legal contract between spouses.

Marriage may also refer to:

“Marriage” is a matching card game played with three decks of cards (156 Cards) played in Nepal, Bhutan and Nepali diaspora throughout the world. It is originally thought to have evolved from Indian Rummy (or Paplu), and is based on making sets of three or more matching cards, of the same rank (Trials), of the same rank and suit (Tunnels), or of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit (Sequences).

This game should not be confused with German card game Mariage.

Marriage'' (German:Die Ehe'') is a 1929 German silent film directed by Eberhard Frowein and starring Lil Dagover.

Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a socially or ritually recognized union or legal contract between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between them, between them and their children, and between them and their in-laws. The definition of marriage varies according to different cultures, but it is principally an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually sexual, are acknowledged. In some cultures, marriage is recommended or considered to be compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity. When defined broadly, marriage is considered a cultural universal.

Individuals may marry for several reasons, including legal, social, libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual, and religious purposes. Whom they marry may be influenced by socially determined rules of incest, prescriptive marriage rules, parental choice and individual desire. In some areas of the world, arranged marriage, child marriage, polygamy, and sometimes forced marriage, may be practiced as a cultural tradition. Conversely, such practices may be outlawed and penalized in parts of the world out of concerns for women's rights and because of international law. In developed parts of the world, there has been a general trend towards ensuring equal rights within marriage for women and legally recognizing the marriages of interfaith or interracial, and same-sex couples. These trends coincide with the broader human rights movement.

Marriage can be recognized by a state, an organization, a religious authority, a tribal group, a local community or peers. It is often viewed as a contract. Civil marriage, which does not exist in some countries, is marriage without religious content carried out by a government institution in accordance with the marriage laws of the jurisdiction, and recognised as creating the rights and obligations intrinsic to matrimony. Marriages can be performed in a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting via a wedding ceremony. The act of marriage usually creates normative or legal obligations between the individuals involved, and any offspring they may produce. In terms of legal recognition, most sovereign states and other jurisdictions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples and a diminishing number of these permit polygyny, child marriages, and forced marriages. Over the twentieth century, a growing number of countries and other jurisdictions have lifted bans on and have established legal recognition for interracial marriage, interfaith marriage, and most recently, same-sex marriage. Some cultures allow the dissolution of marriage through divorce or annulment. In some areas, child marriages and polygamy may occur in spite of national laws against the practice.

Since the late twentieth century, major social changes in Western countries have led to changes in the demographics of marriage, with the age of first marriage increasing, fewer people marrying, and more couples choosing to cohabit rather than marry. For example, the number of marriages in Europe decreased by 30% from 1975 to 2005.

Historically, in most cultures, married women had very few rights of their own, being considered, along with the family's children, the property of the husband; as such, they could not own or inherit property, or represent themselves legally (see for example coverture). In Europe, the United States, and other places in the developed world, beginning in the late 19th century and lasting through the 21st century, marriage has undergone gradual legal changes, aimed at improving the rights of the wife. These changes included giving wives legal identities of their own, abolishing the right of husbands to physically discipline their wives, giving wives property rights, liberalizing divorce laws, providing wives with reproductive rights of their own, and requiring a wife's consent when sexual relations occur. These changes have occurred primarily in Western countries. In the 21st century, there continue to be controversies regarding the legal status of married women, legal acceptance of or leniency towards violence within marriage (especially sexual violence), traditional marriage customs such as dowry and bride price, forced marriage, marriageable age, and criminalization of consensual behaviors such as premarital and extramarital sex.