mary

See also: Mary and Marý

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛɹi/, /ˈmeiɹi/

• Homophones: marry, merry

Etymology

From Mary (“female name”). Compare nan and nancy.

Noun

mary (plural maries)

1. (chiefly US gay slang, usually capitalized) A male homosexual. [1925]
   • 1941, G. Legman, Sex Variants, Vol. II, p. 1171:

     Note also that male homosexuals will call most anyone Bessie or Mary, e.g. ‘Oh, Bessie, you're a camp!’

   • 1985, W. Dynes, Homolexis, p. 150:

     In America in the 1950s,... Mary was often used in the vocative to address any fellow homosexual (‘Well, Mary...’).

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:male homosexual

Anagrams

• Army, Mayr, Myra, Yarm, army, yarm

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Middle French

Alternative forms

• mari

Noun

mary m (plural marys)

1. husband

Descendants

• French: mari

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Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.rɨ/

Noun

mary f

1. inflection of mara:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative plural