matrimony

English

Etymology

From Old French matremoine, from Latin mātrimōnium (“marriage, wedlock”), from māter (“mother”) + -mōnium (“obligation”). Also matri- +‎ -mony. Compare patrimony.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmatɹɪməni/
• IPA^(key): /ˈmætɹɪmoʊni/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mat‧ri‧mo‧ny

Noun

matrimony (countable and uncountable, plural matrimonies)

1. (uncountable) Marriage; the state of being married.
   • 1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, […], London: […] Edowardi Whitchurche […], →OCLC:

     If either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, ye do now confess it.

2. (countable) The ceremony of marriage.
3. (uncountable) A particular solitaire card game using two decks of cards.

Synonyms

• (state of being married): marriage, wedlock
• (ceremony of marriage): wedding, nuptials

Related terms

Words ending with -mony ("state, condition, obligation")

• acrimony = "acrid" "state"
• alimony = "support" "obligation"
• ceremony = "to do, make" "state"
• harmony = "joint" "state"
• parsimony = "frugality" "action"
• patrimony = "father" "state (estate)"
• sanctimony = "holy" "action"
• testimony = "witness" "obligation/condition"

• See Related terms of mother

Derived terms

• matrimony vine

Translations

marriage or the state of being married — see also marriage

• Armenian: ամուսնություն (hy) (amusnutʻyun)
• Bulgarian: брак (bg) m (brak), съпружество n (sǎpružestvo)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 婚姻 (zh) (hūnyīn)

• Danish: ægteskab (da) n
• Esperanto: edzeco (eo)
• Finnish: avioliitto (fi)
• French: mariage (fr) m
• German: Ehe (de) f
• Greek: γάμος (el) m (gámos), κοινωνία γάμου f (koinonía gámou)
• Hungarian: házasság (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: matrimonio (it) m
• Latin: mātrimōnium n, coniugium n
• Latvian: laulība f
• Persian: تأهل (fa) (ta'ahhol)
• Polish: związek małżeński (pl) m
• Portuguese: matrimónio (pt) (Portugal), matrimônio (pt) (Brazil)
• Russian: брак (ru) m (brak), супру́жество (ru) n (suprúžestvo), заму́жество (ru) n (zamúžestvo) (of women only)
• Sicilian: matrimoniu (scn) m
• Turkish: nikâh (tr)

marriage ceremony — see also wedding

• Armenian: հարսանիք (hy) (harsanikʻ)
• Bulgarian: венчавка f (venčavka)
• Danish: vielse (da) c
• Ewe: srɔ̃ɖeɖe
• Finnish: vihkiminen (fi)
• German: Hochzeit (de) f, Heirat (de) f, Eheschließung (de) f, Trauung (de) f
• Greek: γαμήλια τελετή f (gamília teletí), γάμος (el) m (gámos)
• Hungarian: esküvő (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: matrimonio (it) m, cerimonia di nozze, nozze (it) f pl
• Persian: عروسی (fa) (arusi)
• Portuguese: casamento (pt) m
• Russian: сва́дьба (ru) f (svádʹba), бракосочета́ние (ru) n (brakosočetánije)
• Sicilian: matrimoniu (scn) m
• Spanish: boda (es) f
• Swedish: bröllop (sv) n
• Turkish: düğün (tr)

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “matrimony”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

See also

• wedding