mary (English)
Where does "mary" come from?
The English interjection 'mary' is an alternative form of 'marry', meaning 'indeed, in truth'[1], which itself derives from the female name 'Mary'[1]. The name 'Mary' traveled to English from Middle English 'Marie', Old French 'Marie', and Latin 'Maria', originating from Ancient Greek 'Μαρία' and ultimately from Aramaic 'מַרְיָם' or Biblical Hebrew 'מִרְיָם'[2].
Open questions
- The original meaning of the Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic name source remains uncertain. [2]
Full etymology tree
- mary (English), 'Alternative form of marry (“indeed, in truth”).'
- derived Mary (English), 'A female given name from Aramaic or Hebrew.'
- inherited Marie (Middle English), 'Mary (biblical figure)'
- borrowed Marie (Old French), 'a female given name, equivalent to English Mary'
- inherited Maria (Latin), 'a female given name'
- borrowed Μαρία (María) (Ancient Greek), 'Mary, Maria'
- derived Μαριάμ (Mariám) (Ancient Greek), 'alternative form of Μᾰρῐ́ᾱ (Mărĭ́ā, “Mary, Maria”)'
- borrowed Μαρία (María) (Ancient Greek), 'Mary, Maria'
- inherited Maria (Latin), 'a female given name'
- borrowed Marie (Old French), 'a female given name, equivalent to English Mary'
- inherited Marie (Middle English), 'Mary (biblical figure)'
- derived Mary (English), 'A female given name from Aramaic or Hebrew.'
Sources
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris