mare

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈmer 

: a female horse or other equine animal especially when fully mature or of breeding age

mare

2 of 3

noun (2)

ma·​re ˈmär-(ˌ)ā 

plural maria ˈmär-ē-ə  also mares ˈmär-(ˌ)āz 

: any of several mostly flat dark areas of considerable extent on the surface of the moon or Mars

mare

3 of 3

noun (3)

obsolete

: an evil preternatural being causing nightmares

Examples of mare in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The beautiful horses are the main attraction at the Breeders’ Cup, from the Future Stars Friday as juveniles, to the fantastic fillies, magnificent mares and classic colts that produce a lifetime of enjoyment for their connections and fans. —Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

The 5-year-old mare has been campaigned heavily running in her 41st lifetime race. —John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024

Rita’s also offers a variety of caldos (soups) such as their shrimp, fish or siete mares (seven seas) caldo which contains fish, shrimp, scallops, clams and crab legs. —David Ulloa Jr, The Arizona Republic, 19 Oct. 2024

The eruptions that produced the dark mare on the lunar surface ended billions of years ago. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English mere; akin to Old High German merha mare, Old English mearh horse, Welsh march

Noun (2)

New Latin, from Latin, sea — more at marine

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German mara incubus, Serbo-Croatian mora nightmare

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1860, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mare

• flying mare
• mare clausum
• mare liberum
• mare nostrum
• mare's nest
• mare's tail
• shank's mare

Kids Definition

mare

1 of 2 noun

ˈma(ə)r,

ˈme(ə)r

: an adult female of the horse or a related animal (as a zebra or donkey)

mare

2 of 2 noun

ma·​re

ˈmär-ā

plural maria

ˈmär-ē-ə

: any of several large dark areas on the surface of the moon or Mars

Etymology

Noun

Old English mere "a mature female horse"

Noun

scientific Latin, from Latin mare "sea"