[mar-ij] 
| 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. |
| 5. | any close or intimate association or union: the marriage of words and music in a hit song. |
| 6. | a formal agreement between two companies or enterprises to combine operations, resources, etc., for mutual benefit; merger. |
| 7. | a blending or matching of different elements or components: The new lipstick is a beautiful marriage of fragrance and texture. |
| 8. | Cards. a meld of the king and queen of a suit, as in pinochle. Compare royal marriage. |
| 9. | a piece of antique furniture assembled from components of two or more authentic pieces. |
| 10. | Obsolete. the formal declaration or contract by which act a man and a woman join in wedlock. |
ɪdʒ