# If Girls Get Married, Can Guys Get Parried?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-girls-get-married-can-guys-get-parried/64333>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 4, 2001, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-girls-get-married-can-guys-get-parried/64333 "2001-05-04T10:14:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-girls-get-married-can-guys-get-parried/64333/1 "2001-05-04T10:14:29Z")

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    - Just browsing through the Webster’s College, I noticed that the word “marriage” implies something to do with the feminine side (of geneaolgy, that is). If a girl gets married, why can’t a guy get parried?

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## Matrimony is a word; patrimony is also a word. Marriage is a word, but parriage is not.

“Patrimony” implies some sort of decendence through the male line, --such as, in a marriage, the last name.  
I don’t get it.  
?What specifically implies an emphasis on the feminine side in a marriage? - MC

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-girls-get-married-can-guys-get-parried/64333/2 "2001-05-04T11:26:11Z")

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From my trusty etymology dictionary:

_marriage_ comes ultimately from _maritus_, meaning “married man or husband”. The origin of _maritus_ is unclear, but could be linked to _mari_, a young woman, as in being provided with said woman.

patrimony = the inheritance from the father (which was usually a heck of a lot more important than a matrimony). So matrimony, the creation of “a mother in the household” became just that.

Personally, it all boils down to we women being merely possessions an’ brood mares. It’s emphasised ‘cause we’re assets, **MC**. An’ some of us have way more assets than others … 😉

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**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-girls-get-married-can-guys-get-parried/64333/3 "2001-05-04T11:38:07Z")

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Imagine you are a successful Motown singer with eight other siblings. You have a rare skin disease, which makes you get plastic surgery until you look kind of like your sister Janet. Now you can look good too! But what if you would prefer to look like Krusty’s half-brother Luke Perry? You need to get Perried before you can get Perrier. I’m just going to pretend that made sense.

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**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-girls-get-married-can-guys-get-parried/64333/4 "2001-05-05T05:09:02Z")

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Like Ice Wolf says, guys get married.

Girls get parried.