marrying
UK[ˈmær.i.ɪŋ]US[ˈmer.i.ɪŋ]
v
The present participle or gerund of 'marry', meaning the act of becoming someone's husband or wife in a legal or religious ceremony.
v
The act of combining or uniting two things, especially in a harmonious or effective way.
Morpheme Breakdown
marry
ing
marry
to wed
ing
present participle/gerund suffix
Etymology
The word 'marrying' is built upon the verb 'marry', which entered English via Old French from the Latin marītāre, meaning 'to provide with a husband or wife' or 'to wed'. The Latin root marītus for 'husband' is itself likely derived from mas (male), pointing to the ancient social institution formalizing a union. The suffix '-ing' is of Germanic origin, used in Old English to create verbal nouns and present participles. Thus, 'marrying' literally denotes 'the action of performing the rite of marriage', with its secondary meaning of 'combining' extending logically from the concept of union.
Analysis
Structure: marry (to wed) + ing (present participle/gerund suffix)
- marry: From Old French marier, from Latin marītāre (to wed), from marītus (husband). The functional role is the core verb root.
- ing: A suffix from Old English -ende (present participle) and -ung (verbal noun). Its functional role is to form the present participle or gerund, indicating an ongoing action or state.
Examples
They are marrying in a small ceremony next summer.
His approach to cooking involves marrying traditional techniques with modern presentation.
The process of marrying the two datasets took several weeks.