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same-sex marriage

same-sex marriage

84 2.7
A legal partnership between two people of the same sex
  • noun
  • /seɪm sɛks ˈmɛrɪdʒ/
translation icon : matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo
  • Argentine legislators actually used Spain's same-sex marriage law as a blueprint.
  • recognize same-sex marriage
  • legalize same-sex marriage
  • arguments for same-sex marriage

Think about the issue of gay rights and same sex marriage.

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Examples

  • The passage of same sex marriage in New York was made possible again only by the votes of four state Republican senators.

  • The Prime Minister will know that the Same Sex Marriage Act was built on the twin pillars of equality and support for marriage.

  • Hey, Rock, I heard California just legalized same sex marriage.

  • "We think they brought this case to provide a foundation for same-sex marriage, and now they have it."

    Academic text (2003)
  • Voters here in Wisconsin passed a ban on same-sex marriage in the fall of 2006.

    Academic text (2011)
  • On the eve of the Senate vote, public opinion polls put approval of same-sex marriage at 70 percent.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Collectively, these studies will inform policy debates concerning issues such as health care and same-sex marriage.

    Academic text (2013)
  • British Columbia followed Ontario by legalizing same-sex marriages in the province on July 8.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Her sister is married to another woman, and Liz Cheney refuses to support a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

  • In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right in the United States.

Synonyms

civil union
vssame-sex marriage
  • US
18 3.9

A legal partnership between two people, often same-sex, that gives many marriage rights

confers full spousal status rather than being a different partnership form

How Offensive

fag marriage
  • Slur
9.9
same-sex marriage
84 2.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

same-sex + marriage

The meaning 'a marriage between two people of the same sex' is directly and transparently derived from the constituents: 'same-sex' (of the same gender) modifies 'marriage' (a formal, legally recognized partnership). This adjective + noun composition follows a clear, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Same-sex marriage puts together same, sex, and marriage to create a simple image: two people of the same gender getting married. That's why it means 'a marriage between two people of the same sex'.