Mari

From Akkadian 𒈠𒌷𒆠 (ma-ri^ki), from Mer, an ancient storm/patron deity of Mesopotamia and Syria.^[1][2][3] Also see Nûr-Mêr.

Mari

1. (historical) An ancient Sumerian and Amorite city, the modern-day Tell Hariri in Syria.

• Mari, Syria on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Borrowed from Western Mari мари (mari, “Mari language term for the Mari”).

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːɹi

Mari pl (plural only)

2. A Volga-Finnic people in the Volga region.

• (people): Cheremis, Cheremiss (dated)

Mari

1. A Finno-Ugric language spoken by the Mari people.
2. Meadow Mari; Eastern Mari.

There are two written varieties of Mari, one called Meadow Mari or Eastern Mari, and the other Hill Mari or Western Mari. The speakers of the former outnumber those of the latter by 10 to 1 or more, depending on which source one believes. The English Wiktionary uses the code mhr for Eastern Mari and the code mrj for Western Mari.

• (language): Cheremis (dated)

• (Uralic language spoken by the Mari):

  Meadow Mari, Eastern Mari

  Hill Mari, Western Mari

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Mari

1. An Austronesian language spoken in Papua New Guinea.

• (language): Hop

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑɹi/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːɹi/

Mari

1. A female given name from Japanese.
   • 2010 March 9, Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal, Reframing the Path to School Leadership: A Guide for Teachers and Principals, Corwin Press, →ISBN:

     Our colleague, Mari Takahashi Parker (1993), compared schools in the United States and in Japan. She found that in the United States, principals tended to feel the weight of just about everything on their shoulders.

   • 2018, Emiko Jean, Empress of All Seasons, HMH Books For Young Readers, →ISBN, page 40:

     He hopped across and went to lift Mari, but she shook her head and jumped over [by] herself.

• Ethnologue entry for Mari, chm ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Meadow Mari, mhr ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Hill Mari, mrj ⁠

• Rima, raim, rami, AMIR, Amir, Mira, RIMA, Irma, amir, mair, rima, Rami, RAIM, Mair

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaːri/, /-e/

Mari

1. a female given name, short form of Maria

• Maria

Mari f

1. (biblical) Mary
2. a female given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English Mary

Borrowed from Latin Marius.

Mari m

1. Marius

Short for Maria; also identical with Estonian mari (“berry”).

Mari

1. a female given name from Hebrew

• Marje, Marju

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑri/, [ˈmɑ̝ri]
• Rhymes: -ɑri
• Syllabification^(key): Ma‧ri
• Hyphenation^(key): Ma‧ri

Traditional short form of Maria.^[1]

Mari

1. a female given name from Biblical Hebrew, equivalent to English Mary
   • 1986, Aune Torkell, Kaukana toisiamme lähellä, SLEY-kirjat, →ISBN, page 118:

     ―Vai Mari siusta tuli, isomummon kaima. Suokoo Jumala et siun elämä ois onnellisempaa ko miun äetrukan, mummi sanoi vauvalle ja kuiskasi sitten niin kuin silloin, kun ensimmäisen kerran hänet näki ja risti sormellaan hänen otsansa:
     ―Jeesus lasta siunakkoo!
     ―Myöskin Akun äidin nimi oli Mari, äiti sanoi.
     Mummin iloinen ilme muuttui no johan mie aattelin -ilmeeksi. [ - - - ] Samalla hän rupatteli:
     ―Taisin ihan punaseks lehahtaa ko pappi sano lapse nimen. Luulin et Marja tai Maija, ko Maikiks toisinaa sanoitte.

     ―So you were named Mari, the same as your grandmother. God grant you your life to be happier than for poor mother me, the grandmother said to the baby and then whispered like when she saw her for the first time and made a cross with her fingers over her forehead:
     ―Jesus bless this child!
     ―Aku's mother too was called Mari, the mother said.
     Grandmother's happy expression turned into a 'I was thinking about it' one. [ - - - ] At the same time, she chatted:
     ―I think I turned all red when the priest said her name. I thought Marja or Maija, when you call her Maikki after all.

   • 1997, Jorma Palo, Uitettu rotta, WSOY, →ISBN, page 36:

     Nyt Mari makasi olohuoneen sohvalla ja katseli televisiota. Hänen oikea nimensä oli Sari, mutta hän oli niin Marilyn Monroen näköinen, että hänen luontevin nimensä oli Mari.

     Now Mari was lying on the living room couch watching television. Her real name was Sari, but she looked so much like Marilyn Monroe that her most natural name was Mari.

   • 2007, Riikka Pulkkinen, Raja, Gummerus, →ISBN, page 29:

     Ikää on kuusitoista vuotta. Nimi on arkinen Mari, kaksitavuinen tynkeä Mari. Mari on kiltin tytön nimi.

     Sixteen years of age. Name such a plain one as Mari, a disyllabic, stubby Mari. Mari is a name a nice girl would have.

• Mari is the 42^nd most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 15,061 female individuals (and as a middle name to 9,321 more), according to August 2025 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

See mari (“Mari”).

Mari

1. (uncountable) Mari Republic

   Synonym: Marin tasavalta

• Armi, Irma, Mira, Rami, armi, rami, rima

• Mare (old orthography)

Borrowed from Danish Marie.

Mari

1. a female given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English Mary

• Maalat
• Maalia
• Maaliaanna
• Maaria

• Nuka Møller: Kalaallit aqqi (Greenlandic personal names), Oqaasileriffik 2015, →ISBN
• [1] Danskernes navne 2005, including the residents of Greenland

Clipping and -i diminutive of Mária (changing -á- to -a-).

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɒri]
• Hyphenation: Ma‧ri
• Rhymes: -ri

Mari

1. a diminutive of the female given name Mária, from Hebrew, equivalent to English Mary

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaːrɪ/
• Rhymes: -aːrɪ
• Homophone: mari

Mari m (proper noun, genitive singular Mara)

1. a male given name

• Patronymic/short form of the medieval name Ademaro, Adimaro.
• Patronymic/short form of Mario.
• Short form of Amari, or a nickname from amaro (“bitter”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ri/
• Rhymes: -ari
• Hyphenation: Mà‧ri

Mari m or f by sense

1. a surname

• Stefano Ravara (2015–2026), Mappa dei Cognomi‎^[2]

Mari

1. Rōmaji transcription of まり
2. Rōmaji transcription of マリ

A traditional vernacular form of Maria.

Mari

1. a female given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English Mary

• Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, →ISBN
• [3] Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 9987 females with the given name Mari living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak in the 1980s. Accessed on 19 May, 2011.

Mari f

1. (colloquial) clipping of María

• Audio:

  (file)

Mari c (genitive Maris)

1. a female given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English Mary, a less common spelling of Marie

• Irma

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈmarɪ/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈmaːri/, /ˈmari/

Mari

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Mary

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “Mari”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies