Number 4, below, attracted my attention. This is Dictionary.com, and there are 10 separate definitions in the full entry; I deleted the irrelevent ones for space.
mar⋅riage
–noun | 1. | the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc. |
| 2. | the state, condition, or relationship of being married; wedlock: a happy marriage. |
| 3. | the legal or religious ceremony that formalizes the decision of a man and woman to live as husband and wife, including the accompanying social festivities: to officiate at a marriage. |
| 4. | a relationship in which two people have pledged themselves to each other in the manner of a husband and wife, without legal sanction: trial marriage; homosexual marriage. |
Origin: 1250–1300; ME mariage OF, equiv. to mari(er) to marry 1 + -age
I wasn't aware that that particular definition was in use on Dictionary.com. This particular entry is "based on" the Random House Dictionary, and another entry below it, from American Heritage, also includes that basic definition. Entries from Webster's and Merriam-Websters, however, do not include any reference to extra-legal "marriage," nor, of course, does Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.
I'd be interested to know more about the selection and editorial processes of dictionaries. Anyone have any knowledge on this topic?
The gay activists would all have us believe that marriage isn't a matter of definition 1, a social institution regulated by the state, but rather would have us all believe that marriage is nothing more than a pledged relationship. At least, that's what they want us to believe, but they don't believe it themselves as they continue their journey to destroy the institution by picking at the legal issues surrounding it.
ReplyDeleteWhat I forgot I knew until checking out this entry was this: "trial marriage" (also in definition 4) was acceptable in some Medieval societies. Failure to conceive a child was one reason to cancel plans to finalize the official marriage. (So said my AP European History teacher, at a Catholic high school, and I remember it generally surprising the whole class.)
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I remember a time when I was blogging during Prop 8 and I went to search Miriam Webster Online for the definitions of "Tolerance" and "Bigot." When the definitions popped up each time, so did a "No on 8" ad in the sidebar. I found it very telling as to the leanings of those in the dictionary business. I, too, would be interested in learning more about how words are defined and redefined in dictionaries. Who has that power?
ReplyDeletePearl,
ReplyDeleteThat's a great question (and Beth this is another great post)! I never thought about who really writes the dictionary?
I looked it up at the Merriam Webster online site (http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/commitment.htm) It looks like it is just up to the dictionary publishers and editorial board/staff. This was the part that I thought was most telling:
Editorial work for Merriam-Webster had always been performed by distinguished scholars, and by the 1870s a small, permanent staff had been established. The Merriam brothers believed that retaining such a staff would ensure that the voice and style of Merriam-Webster dictionaries would have continuity and consistency. That belief still drives the company, which boasts the largest group of working lexicographers in North America.
I wonder if "scholars" really means "liberal academics"?
Hm, I'd lean more toward the "liberal academics." Seems to be the more and more true and accurate definition of "scholars" these days.
ReplyDelete