Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shotgun marriage” come from?

shotgun marriage (English) comes from English marriage, from Middle English mariage, from Old French mariage, from Old French marier, from Latin marītō, from Latin marītus, from Latin mās, from Proto-Nuristani *māsa — to measure.

shotgun marriage (English): A marriage beginning with a shotgun wedding; A...

Definitions

  1. A marriage beginning with a shotgun wedding; A...

Ancestry of “shotgun marriage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmarriageThe state of being married; A union of two or...
2Middle Englishmariagemarriage
3Old Frenchmariagemarriage; wedding
4Old Frenchmarierto marry; to get married
5Latinmarītō—
6Latinmarītus—
7Latinmās—
8Proto-Nuristani*māsa—
9Proto-Indo-Iranianmā́Hasmoon; month
10Proto-Indo-Europeanmḗh₁n̥smoon; month
11Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₁-to measure
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meh₁- →