Marathi language

1 7.9

An Indian language spoken mainly in Maharashtra and written in Devanagari script

noun

: idioma maratí

The Marathi language is spoken by over 80 million people across India.

Examples

The Marathi language is the official language of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
She learned to read and write in the Marathi language at school.
Many classic poems are written in the Marathi language and are studied by students in Maharashtra.
I am learning the Marathi language this year.
She speaks Marathi language fluently.
Many classic novels are originally written in the Marathi language and are celebrated for their literary richness.
In Maharashtra, students often study the Marathi language as part of their curriculum.

Synonyms

Marathi

vsMarathi language

1 8.6

A language spoken in the Indian state of Maharashtra and written with Devanagari letters

has identical meaning but is the preferred or standard form

Mahratti

vsMarathi language

Archaic

9.5

An Indian language spoken in Maharashtra, written with Devanagari letters and also called Marathi

is identical in meaning but differs only as a different written form

Mahratti language

vsMarathi language

Archaic

8.7

A language spoken in India, mainly in Maharashtra, written in Devanagari

is the same language but uses a more common modern spelling

Surface Forms

Marathi language singular

Marathi languages plural

Morphology

Marathi + language

The noun phrase is transparently composed of the proper name 'Marathi' and the noun 'language', so its meaning ('the language called Marathi') is directly derivable if a learner knows both constituents. The proper‑name + language construction is a regular, cross‑linguistic naming pattern in English, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the words.

Etymology

Marathi language comes from Marathi, the name used for the people of the Indian region Maharashtra. So 'Marathi language' simply means the language those people speak.