marrow

See also: Marrow

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English mary, marow, marwe, marowȝ, from Old English mearg, from Proto-West Germanic *maʀg, from Proto-Germanic *mazgą, *mazgaz, from Proto-Indo-European *mosgʰos. Compare West Frisian moarch, Dutch merg, German Mark, Swedish märg, Icelandic mergur, and also Russian мозг (mozg, “brain”), Polish mózg (“brain”), Persian مغز (mağz, “brain”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmæɹəʊ/
• (General American) enPR: mărʹō
  • (Mary–marry–merry distinction) IPA^(key): /ˈmæɹoʊ/
  • (Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛ(ə)ɹoʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æɹəʊ

Noun

marrow (countable and uncountable, plural marrows)

Transected beef bones, exposing the marrow inside

Vegetable marrows

1. (uncountable) The substance inside bones which produces blood cells.
   • 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter III (Accessory After the Fact), page 382, column 1:

     Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.

   • 2004, “Eaten”, performed by Bloodbath:

     Chop me up, I like to be hurt / Drink my marrow and blood for dessert

3. A kind of vegetable like a large courgette/zucchini or squash.
   • 1847, Sir Robert Hermann Schomburgk, “Steam-Boat Voyage to Barbados”, in Bentley's Miscellany, volume XXII, London: Richard Bentley, page 37:

     The finest European vegetables, cabbages, cauliflowers, potatoes, vegetable marrow, were lying in the market-hall, awaiting purchasers.

4. The pith of certain plants.
5. The essence; the best part.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:

     It takes from our achievements […] / The pith and marrow of our attribute.

   • 1557 February 13 (Gregorian calendar), Thomas Tusser, A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie, London: […] Richard Tottel, →OCLC:

     I cannot commend , with theefe of his marrow, for feare of ill end

6. Inner meaning or purpose.
7. (medicine, colloquial, countable) Bone marrow biopsy.

   This patient will have a marrow today.

8. (obsolete) (uncountable) Semen.
   • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:

     Parolles: He wears his honour in a box, unseen / That hugs his kicky-wicky here at home, / Spending his manly marrow in her arms / Of Mars’s fiery steed.

Synonyms

• (the essence; the best part): crux, gist; See also Thesaurus:gist

Derived terms

• bone marrow
• marrowbone
• marrow gut
• marrow smear
• marrow squash
• mountain marrow
• spinal marrow
• vegetable marrow

 

Translations

substance inside bones

• Arabic: نِقْيُ ٱلْعَظْم m (niqyu l-ʕaẓm), مُخُّ ٱلْعَظْم (muḵḵu l-ʕaẓm), نِقْي m (niqy)
• Aragonese: miollo m
• Armenian: ոսկրածուծ (hy) (oskracuc)
• Aromanian: mãduã f
• Belarusian: касця́вы мозг m (kascjávy mozh)
• Bengali: মজ্জা (bn) (mojja)
• Berber:

  Tashelhit: adif m

• Bulgarian: ко́стен мо́зък m (kósten mózǎk)
• Catalan: medul·la (ca) f, moll (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 髓 (zh) (suǐ), 骨髓 (zh) (gǔsuǐ)

• Czech: kostní dřeň (cs) f, morek (cs) m
• Danish: marv (da) c
• Dutch: merg (nl) n
• Esperanto: medolo, ostocerbo
• Estonian: üdi (et), luuüdi (et), kondiüdi (et)
• Faroese: mergur m
• Finnish: luuydin (fi)
• French: moelle (fr) f, moelle osseuse (fr) f
• Friulian: medole f
• Galician: miolo (gl) m, sámago m, cana (gl) f, cana dos ósos f, medula (gl) f
• Georgian: ტვინი (ṭvini), ძვლის ტვინი (ʒvlis ṭvini)
• German: Mark (de) n, Knochenmark (de) n
• Greek: μεδούλι (el) n (medoúli)

  Ancient: μυελός m (muelós)

• Hindi: मज्जा (hi) m (majjā), गूदा (hi) m (gūdā)
• Hungarian: velő (hu), csontvelő (hu)
• Indonesian: Sum sum tulang
• Interlingua: medulla
• Irish: smior m
• Italian: midollo (it) m
• Japanese: 骨髄 (ja) (こつずい, kotsuzui)
• Khmer: ខួរឆ្អឹង (khuə chʼəng)
• Korean: 골수 (ko) (golsu)
• Latin: medulla f
• Macedonian: коскена срж f (koskena srž)
• Maltese: mudullun m
• Maori: mongamonga, waimongamonga
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: вем (vem)

• Middle English: marow
• Mongolian: чөмөг (mn) (čömög)
• Northern Sami: ađa
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: marg (no) m

  Nynorsk: merg m

• Old English: mearg n
• Ossetian: магъз (maǧz)
• Ottoman Turkish: ایلیك (ilik), مخ (muh)
• Persian: مغز (fa) (maghz)
• Plautdietsch: Moakj n
• Polish: szpik (pl) m, szpik kostny m
• Portuguese: medula (pt) f, tutano (pt) m, miolo (pt) m
• Romanian: măduvă (ro) f
• Russian: ко́стный мозг (ru) m (kóstnyj mozg)
• Sanskrit: मज्जन् (sa) m (majjan), हड्डज (sa) n (haḍḍaja)
• Scots: marrae
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ср̑ж f, мо̏ждина f, коштана ср̑ж f

  Roman: sȓž (sh) f, mȍždina (sh) f, koštana sȓž f

• Sicilian: miduḍḍuni m
• Skolt Sami: õõđ
• Slovak: kostná dreň f, špik m
• Slovene: mozeg (sl) m
• Spanish: médula (es) f, tuétano (es) m, meollo (es) m
• Swedish: märg (sv) c
• Tagalog: utik
• Thai: ไขกระดูก (th) (kǎi-grà-dùuk), ไขข้อ (th)
• Tocharian B: mrestīwe
• Turkish: ilik (tr)
• Ukrainian: кістко́вий мо́зок m (kistkóvyj mózok)
• Venetian: megòla f, mioła ?, miola ?, meoła ?, meola ?
• Vietnamese: tủy xương
• Volapük: pif (vo)
• Welsh: mêr m
• Yiddish: מאַרך m (markh)
• Zazaki: ilıg n

kind of vegetable

• Arabic: كُوسَا f (kūsā)
• Armenian: դդմիկ (hy) (ddmik)
• Bulgarian: тиквичка f (tikvička)
• Danish: græskar n
• Dutch: mergpompoen m
• Finnish: kesäkurpitsa (fi)
• French: courgette (fr) f, courge (fr) f
• Galician: cabaza (gl) f, calimbornia f
• Georgian: ყაბაყი (q̇abaq̇i)
• German: Flaschenkürbis (de) m
• Greek: κολοκύθα (el) f (kolokýtha)
• Hungarian: tök (hu)
• Icelandic: mergur (is) m
• Irish: mearóg f
• Italian: zucchina (it) f
• Maltese: qarabagħli m
• Maori: kamokamo
• Norman: courge f, m'lon m
• Polish: kabaczek (pl) m
• Portuguese: abobrinha (pt) f
• Romanian: dovlecel (ro) m
• Russian: кабачо́к (ru) m (kabačók)
• Spanish: calabaza (es) f
• Swedish: squash (sv) c, zucchini (sv) c
• Thai: แฟง (fɛɛng)
• Welsh: maro m

essence

• German: Essenz (de) f
• Middle English: marow
• Welsh: mêr m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} ძვლის ტვინი (ʒvlis ṭvini), ^{(please verify)} არსი (arsi), ^{(please verify)} დედაარსი (dedaarsi), ^{(please verify)} რაობა (raoba), ^{(please verify)} მთავარი (mtavari)

See also

• courgette
• cucumber
• gherkin
• gourd
• pickle
• squash
• zucchini

 

Etymology 2

From Old Norse margr.

Alternative forms

• marra

Noun

marrow (plural marrows)

1. (Geordie, informal) A friend, pal, buddy, mate.

   Cheers marrow!

2. (mining, slang, obsolete) A miner's mate or assistant.
   • 1855, Mining Magazine, page 519:

     A 'getter' or miner is paid 1½ to 2 cents per hundred weight of Coals excavated, […] but out of this sum, his "marrows" or assistants who do the business of 'putting' and 'hurrying' for him must be paid […]

3. (Scotland or archaic) One of a pair; a match; a companion; an intimate associate.
   • c. 1620, anonymous, “Tom o’ Bedlam’s Song” in Giles Earle his Booke (British Museum, Additional MSS. 24, 665):

     The moon’s my constant Mistresse / & the lowlie owle my morrowe. / The flaming Drake and yͤ Nightcrowe make / mee musicke to my sorrowe.

   • [1917, John Buchan, “[Theocritus in Scots.] The Kirn (Idyll vii).”, in Poems: Scots and English (in Scots), London; Edinburgh: T. C. & E. C. Jack, →OCLC, book I (Scots), page 38:

     The dreichest saul could see he had sunlicht in his ee, / And there's no his marrow left in the toun.

     The most cheerless soul could see he had sunlight in his eye, / And there's none his equal left in the town.]

Derived terms

• half-marrow

References

• A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, →ISBN
• Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
• A List of words and phrases in everyday use by the natives of Hetton-le-Hole in the County of Durham, F.M.T.Palgrave, English Dialect Society vol.74, 1896, [1]