mare

Definitions


[mɛː], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the female of a horse or other equine animal

- a woman
(e.g: that crazy mare put three bullets in him)


Phrases:

Origin:
Old English mearh ‘horse’, mere ‘mare’, from a Germanic base with cognates in Celtic languages meaning ‘stallion’


[mɛː], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a very unpleasant or frustrating experience
(e.g: this week is going to be a bit of a mare but at least the end is in sight)


Phrases:

Origin:
1980s: abbreviation of nightmare


[ˈmɑːri], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a large, level basalt plain on the surface of the moon, appearing dark by contrast with highland areas
(e.g: the maria are largely confined to the near side of the moon)


Phrases:

Origin:
mid 19th century: special use of Latin mare ‘sea’; these areas were once thought to be seas




definition by Oxford Dictionaries