<B>Marquesan, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with the Marquesas Islands, in the South Pacific. <DD><I>noun </I> a native or inhabitant of the Marquesas Islands. </DL>
<B>marquetry, </B>noun, pl. <B>-tries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> decoration made with thin pieces of wood, ivory, metal, tortoise shell, or the like, fitted together to form a design on furniture. <BR> <I>Ex. a marquetry writing desk (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marquis">
<B>marquis, </B>noun, pl. <B>marquises,</B> <B>marquis.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a nobleman ranking below a duke and above an earl or count. </DL>
<A NAME="marquisate">
<B>marquisate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the position or rank of marquis. <DD><B> 2. </B>the territory governed by a marquis. </DL>
<A NAME="marquise">
<B>marquise, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the wife or widow of a marquis. <DD><B> 2. </B>a woman equal in rank to a marquis. <DD><B> 3a. </B>a pointed oval shape into which diamonds or other gems are frequently cut. <DD><B> b. </B>a ring setting of this shape. <DD><B> 4. </B><B>=marquee.</B> <DD><B> 5. </B>an upholstered love seat. </DL>
<A NAME="marquisette">
<B>marquisette, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a very thin fabric with square meshes, made of cotton, silk, or synthetic fabric. It is often used for window draperies. </DL>
<A NAME="marquisofqueensberryrules">
<B>Marquis of Queensberry rules,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. </B>the standard rules and provisions of modern boxing, sponsored by the Marquis of Queensberry in 1867. <DD><B> 2. </B>any similar set of rules governing a game, contest, or other competition. <BR> <I>Ex. We are forced to fight by Marquis of Queensberry rules while the criminals are permitted to gougeand bite (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marramgrass">
<B>marram grass,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a tall, coarse, perennial beach grass native to Europe, sometimes sown to prevent the drifting of sand masses. </DL>
<A NAME="marrano">
<B>marrano, </B>noun, pl. <B>-nos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a Christianized Jew or Moor of medieval Spain, especially one who only professed conversion to escape persecution by the Inquisition. </DL>
<A NAME="marriage">
<B>marriage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or fact of living together as husband and wife; relation between husband and wife; married life; wedlock. <BR> <I>Ex. We wished the bride and groom a happy marriage. [Their] marriage certainly did not seem made in heaven (Time).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the condition of being a husband or wife. <DD><B> 3. </B>the ceremony of being married; a marrying; a wedding. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) a close union. <BR> <I>Ex. the marriage of music and drama in opera. The marriage of words and melody in that song was unusually effective.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>the king and queen of the same suit in pinochle, bezique, and some other card games. <DD><B> 6. </B>the merger of two business firms, or the acquisition of one by the other. <BR> <I>Ex. This major bank marriage is the fourth in less than six months (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marriageability">
<B>marriageability, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the condition of being marriageable. </DL>
<A NAME="marriageable">
<B>marriageable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> fit for marriage; old enough to marry. <BR> <I>Ex. a girl of marriageable age.</I> (SYN) nubile. noun <B>marriageableness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="marriagebroker">
<B>marriage broker,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person whose business is to arrange marriages. </DL>
<A NAME="marriagebrokerage">
<B>marriage brokerage</B> or <B>brokage,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the business of a marriage broker. </DL>
<A NAME="marriagebureau">
<B>marriage bureau,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the office or agency of a marriage broker. </DL>
<A NAME="marriageencounter">
<B>marriage encounter,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the meeting of a group of married couples to explore feelings between husbands and wives to improve their relationship. <BR> <I>Ex. Dialoguing is what Marriage Encounter is all about. It is a technique you will not learn ... except during an encounter weekend, a form of communication (Kitty Hanson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marriageofconvenience">
<B>marriage of convenience,</B> =mariage de convenance.</DL>
<A NAME="marriageportion">
<B>marriage portion,</B> =dowry.</DL>
<A NAME="married">
<B>married, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>living together as husband and wife. <BR> <I>Ex. a married couple.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having a husband or wife. <BR> <I>Ex. a married man.</I> <DD> (Abbr:) m. <DD><B> 3. </B>of marriage; of husbands and wives. <BR> <I>Ex. Married life has many rewards.</I> (SYN) connubial, matrimonial. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) closely united. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>marrieds,</B> a married couple. <BR> <I>Ex. newly marrieds.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marrier">
<B>marrier, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who marries. </DL>
<A NAME="marron">
<B>marron, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a large sweet European chestnut, often used in cooking, or candied or preserved in syrup. </DL>
<A NAME="marronsglaces">
<B>marrons glaces,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) marrons glazed with sugar or preserved in a sugar syrup. </DL>
<A NAME="marrow">
<B>marrow</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the soft substance that fills the hollow central part of most bones; medulla. Marrow is the source of red blood cells and many white blood cells. <DD><B> 2. </B>this substance obtained from animal bones and used as food. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) the inmost or important part. <BR> <I>Ex. The icy wind chilled me to the marrow.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) vitality; strength. <BR> <I>Ex. It takes the marrow out of a man (Benjamin Disraeli).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B><B>=vegetable marrow.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="marrow">
<B>marrow</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Scottish and British Dialect.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a mate; companion; associate. <DD><B> 2. </B>an equal; match. </DL>
<A NAME="marrowbone">
<B>marrowbone, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a bone containing marrow which can be eaten. <BR><I>expr. <B>marrowbones,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>the knees. </I> <I>Ex. I jest flopped down on my marrowbones (John Hay).</I> <DD><B> b. </B><B>=crossbones.</B> <BR> <I>Ex. I ... sailed under the black flag and marrowbones (Scott).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marrowfat">
<B>marrowfat, </B>noun, or <B>marrowfat pea,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a tall, late variety of pea having a large, rich seed. <DD><B> 2. </B>its seed, used for food. </DL>
<A NAME="marrowless">
<B>marrowless, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having no marrow. <BR> <I>Ex. Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold (Shakespeare).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marrowpea">
<B>marrow pea,</B> =marrowfat.</DL>
<A NAME="marrowsquash">
<B>marrow squash,</B> =vegetable marrow.</DL>
<A NAME="marrowy">
<B>marrowy, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of, like, or full of marrow. </DL>
<A NAME="marry">
<B>marry</B> (1), verb, <B>-ried,</B> <B>-rying.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to join as husband and wife. <BR> <I>Ex. The minister married them.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to take as husband or wife. <BR> <I>Ex. He plans to marry her soon.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to give in marriage. <BR> <I>Ex. He married his daughter to a young lawyer.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) to bring together in any close union; unite closely; blend. <BR> <I>Ex. Great cognacs are achieved by marrying fine old brandies (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Nautical.) to sew together or join (two ropes) without increasing the diameter. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to take a husband or wife; become married. <BR> <I>Ex. She married late in life.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to become closely united. <BR> <I>Ex. By that old bridge where the waters marry (Tennyson).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>marry into,</B> </I>to become part of (a family) through marriage. <BR> <I>Ex. "Curly, ... I'd almost give you the truck, like it stands, not to marry into us" (Eudora Welty).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>marry off,</B> </I>to give away in marriage. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the casket-maker loannidis with the six ugly sisters he can never hope to marry off (Harry M. Petrakis).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>marry up,</B> </I>(Figurative.) to join up; combine or unite. <BR> <I>Ex. The Fast Deployment Logistics Ships [are] needed to haul the Army's tanks and trucks, artillery and ammunition, and "marry up" with the airborne troops (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marry">
<B>marry</B> (2), interjection.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) an exclamation showing surprise, indignation, or other emotion. </DL>
<A NAME="mars">
<B>Mars, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Roman Mythology.) the god of war, son of Jupiter and Juno and husband or lover of Venus. The Greeks called him Ares. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=war.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>the planet next in order beyond the earth and the fourth in distance from the sun. Its orbit about the sun lies between those of the earth and Jupiter and takes 687 days to complete, at an average distance from the sun of about 141,500,000 miles. It is the seventh largest planet in the solar system, with a mean diameter of 4,220 miles. <BR> <I>Ex. Mars is notable among the planets and stars for its red color (John C. Duncan).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="marsala">
<B>Marsala, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a light wine resembling sherry, originating in Marsala, Sicily. </DL>
<A NAME="marseillaise">
<B>Marseillaise, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the French national anthem, written in 1792 during the French Revolution by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. </DL>
<A NAME="marseilles">
<B>marseilles, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a thick, stiff cotton cloth woven in figures or stripes, used for bedspreads, curtains, and upholstery. </DL>
<A NAME="marsh">
<B>marsh, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> low land covered at times by water; soft, wet land; swamp. Such plants as reeds, rushes, and sedges grow in marshes. (SYN) bog, fen. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>marshy. <DD><B> 2. </B>living in marshes. </DL>
