CARNAL NATION

The Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman for purposes of all federal laws, and provides that states need not recognize a marriage from another state if it is between persons of the same sex." Yes, yes, yes, we've heard all of this before. Every pundit and demagogue has his or her own convenient definition of 'marriage,' but has anyone looked up the word recently?

Merriam-Webster's online dictionary has expanded its primary definition of the word marriage. The definition originally read: "1 a (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law." The newly revised definition adds the following: "(2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage>"

Dictionary.com also has new and expanded definitions of marriage that include reference to same-sex relationships. The fourth definition of marriage reads: "a relationship in which two people have pledged themselves to each other in the manner of a husband and wife, without legal sanction: trial marriage; homosexual marriage." Further down the page, a subsection of the primary definition of marriage now reads: "A union between two persons having the customary but usually not the legal force of marriage: a same-sex marriage."

Looks like it's time to go out and get the most up-to-date version of this favorite reference tool! Dictionaries make wonderful wedding gifts, too.

[Editor's note: According to the Associated Press, Merriam-Webster expanded the definition in 2003.]