edding,
espousal, matrimony, spousal, union, wedlock.

_Matrimony_ denotes the state of those who are united in the relation
of husband and wife; _marriage_ denotes primarily the act of so uniting,
but is extensively used for the state as well. _Wedlock_, a word of
specific legal use, is the Saxon term for the state or relation denoted
by _matrimony_. _Wedding_ denotes the ceremony, with any attendant
festivities, by which two persons are united as husband and wife,
_nuptials_ being the more formal and stately term to express the same
idea.

Antonyms:

bachelorhood, celibacy, divorce, maidenhood, virginity, widowhood.

Prepositions:

Marriage _of_ or _between_ two persons; _of_ one person _to_ or _with_
another; _among_ the Greeks.

* * * * *

MASCULINE.

Synonyms:

male, manful, manlike, manly, mannish, virile.

We apply _male_ to the sex, _masculine_ to the qualities, especially to
the stronger, hardier, and more imperious qualities that distinguish the
_male_ sex; as applied to women, _masculine_ has often the depreciatory
sense of unwomanly, rude, or harsh; as, a _masculine_ face or voice, or
the like; tho one may say in a commendatory way, she acted with
_masculine_ courage or decision. _Manlike_ may mean only having the
outward appearance or semblance of a man, or may be closely equivalent
to _manly_. _Manly_ refers to all the qualities and traits worthy of a
man; _manful_, especially to the valor and prowess that become a man; we
speak of a _manful_ struggle, _manly_ decision; we say _manly_
gentleness or tenderness; we could not say _manful_ tenderness.
_Mannish_ is a depreciatory word referring to the mimicry or parade of
some superficial qualities of manhood; as, a _mannish_ boy or woman.
_Masculine_ may apply to the distinctive qualities of the _male_ sex at
any age; _virile_ applies to the distinctive qualities of mature manhood
only, as opposed not only to _feminine_ or _womanly_ but to _childish_,
and is thus an emphatic word for _sturdy_, _intrepid_, etc.

Antonyms:

See synonyms for FEMININE.

* * * * *

MASSACRE.

Synonyms:

butchery, carnage, havoc, slaughter.

A _massacre_ is the indiscriminate killing in numbers of the
unresisting or defenseless; _butchery_ is the killing of men rudely and
ruthlessly as cattle are killed in the shambles. _Havoc_ may not be so
complete as _ma