Maria

1
[ muh-ree-uh ]
/ məˈri ə /

noun

Origin of Maria

1
Shortening of Santa 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 mayor

Definition for maria (4 of 5)

mare 2
[ mair ]
/ mɛər /

noun Obsolete.

Origin of mare

2
before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Mahre, Old Norse mara. See nightmare

Definition 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)

maria
/ (ˈmɑːrɪə) /

noun

the plural of mare 2

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
[ märā ]

Plural maria (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.