Maria
1
[ muh-ree-uh ]
/ məˈri ə /
noun
Origin of Maria
1
Shortening of
Santa Maria.
Words nearby Maria
Definition for maria (2 of 5)
Maria
2
[ muh-ree-uh, -rahy-uh; Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish mah-ree-ah ]
/ məˈri ə, -ˈraɪ ə; Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish mɑˈri ɑ /
noun
a female given name, form of Mary.
Definition for maria (3 of 5)
mare
1
[ mair ]
/ mɛər /
noun
a fully mature female horse or other equine animal.
Origin of mare
1
before 900; Middle English, variant of
mere, Old English
m(i)ere; cognate with Dutch
merrie, German
Mähre, Old Norse
merr; akin to Old English
mearh, Old Norse
marr, Irish
marc horse. See
marshal
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mare
mare mayorDefinition for maria (4 of 5)
Origin of mare
2Definition for maria (5 of 5)
mare
3
[ mahr-ey, mair-ee ]
/ ˈmɑr eɪ, ˈmɛər i /
noun, plural ma·ri·a [mahr-ee-uh, mair-] /ˈmɑr i ə, ˈmɛər-/. Astronomy.
any of the several large, dark plains on the moon and Mars: Galileo believed that the lunar features were seas when he first saw them through a telescope.
Origin of mare
3
1680–90; < Latin: sea
Example sentences from the Web for maria
British Dictionary definitions for maria (1 of 3)
British Dictionary definitions for maria (2 of 3)
mare
1
/ (mɛə) /
noun
the adult female of a horse or zebra
Word Origin for mare
C12: from Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German
mariha, Old Norse
merr mare
British Dictionary definitions for maria (3 of 3)
mare
2
/ (ˈmɑːreɪ, -rɪ) /
noun plural maria (ˈmɑːrɪə)
(capital when part of a name)
any of a large number of huge dry plains on the surface of the moon, visible as dark markings and once thought to be seas: Mare Imbrium (Sea of Showers)
a similar area on the surface of Mars, such as Mare Sirenum
Word Origin for mare
from Latin: sea
Scientific definitions for maria
mare
[ mä′rā ]
Plural maria (mä′rē-ə)
Any of the large, low-lying dark areas on the Moon or on Mars or other inner planets. The lunar maria are believed to consist of volcanic basalts, and many are believed to be basins formed initially by large impacts with meteoroids and later filled with lava flows. Compare terra.