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Mary

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Mother of Jesus, venerated for her humility and obedience to God

Detailed Definition
Mary, a virgin chosen to bear Christ, embodies purity, grace, and maternal devotion. In poetry, she symbolizes divine motherhood, intercession, and the human vessel of the sacred.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Christian poetry like George Herbert’s “The Pulley,” Mary embodies humility and grace; In Dante’s "Divine Comedy," Mary intercedes for souls in Purgatory; In W.H. Auden’s “For the Time Being,” Mary’s annunciation signifies humble acceptance; In T.S. Eliot’s “Ash-Wednesday,” Mary represents intercessory hope; In modern interfaith poetry, Mary often symbolizes maternal compassion; In Tracy K. Smith’s “Watershed,” Mary’s Magnificat informs liberation theology.
Additional Notes
Mary, mother of Jesus, symbolizes purity, obedience, and maternal sorrow (Mater Dolorosa); poets engage with her through Annunciation scenes, litanies, or meditations on her role in salvation—her “yes” (fiat) represents humble acceptance, while her presence at the Cross evokes shared suffering, influencing devotional and feminist poetic traditions.
Also Known As
Mother of Christ Virgin of Nazareth Theotokos Maria Merv
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