# Mary

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈmɛə.ɹi/ · frequency rank #1,730

## Definitions
1. A female given name from Aramaic or Hebrew.
2. The mother of Jesus; believed in Christianity and Islam to have been a virgin, and believed by most Christians to have been born herself without sin, to have been assumed into Heaven without death, and to act as a sympathetic intercessor for believers.
3. Any of several other women in the New Testament, notably:
4. Any of several other women in the New Testament, notably:
5. Synonym of Maryam (“The 19th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an”)
6. A term of address for a male homosexual.
7. A male middle name, given in honour of the Virgin Mary.

## Etymology
From Middle English Marie, from Old French Marie, from Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מַרְיָם (maryām) or Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם (miryām), of uncertain meaning (see the Hebrew entry for more). Doublet of Miriam, Marie, Maria, and Mariah.

## Easily confused with
- **my** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-my)
- **Mr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mr)
- **may** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-may)
- **Mrs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mrs)
- **max** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-max)
- **mat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mat)
- **MRI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mri)
- **mir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mir)
- **mer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mer)
- **MOR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mor)
- **Mau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mau)
- **maw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-maw)
- **MRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mrt)
- **MRC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mrc)
- **MRP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mrp)
- **more** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-more)
- **mass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mass)
- **mate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-mate)
- **matt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-matt)
- **math** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mary-vs-math)

## Common misspellings (4)
`maryy`, `mayr`, `mmary`, `mray`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mary