mare

views updated May 08 2018

mare (pl. maria) The Latin word for ‘sea’, originally used by Galileo in 1610 to denote the smooth, grey areas on the Moon, visible to the naked eye, that are now known to be plains of basaltic lava filling circular basins excavated by planetismal impact. Basalt lavas, mainly in maria, cover 17% of the surface of the Moon, mostly on the near side. The term is also applied to low-lying areas on Mars.

mare

views updated Jun 11 2018

mare mare's nest an illusory discovery, originally in the phrase to have found (or spied) a mare's nest (i.e. something that does not exist), used in the sense ‘to have discovered something amazing’. The expression is recorded from the late 16th century.

See also Flanders Mare, the grey mare is the better horse, money makes the mare to go, nothing so bold as a blind mare.

mare

views updated May 14 2018

mare Early ME. māre (XII), with stem-vowel from obl. cases of OE. mearh horse, finally superseding mēre, müre, OE. *mēre, *mīere. mȳre :- Gmc. *marχjōn (MLG., MDu. mer(r)ie, OHG. mar(i)ha, Du. merrie, G. mähre, ON. (merr), f. *marχaz horse (OHG. marah, ON. marr), corr. to Gaulish (acc. sg.) márkan, (O)Ir., Gaelic marc, W. march.

mare

views updated May 18 2018

mare1 / me(ə)r/ • n. the female of a horse or other equine animal.

Mare

views updated May 23 2018

Mare , Walter de la, see de la Mare.

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