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Sacramento SAN FRANCISC0－Same－sex marriage might not be recognized in most states, but it is in the dictionary．
Merriam－Webster included a secondary definition(定义)of marriage to recognize same－sex relationships several years before gay couples were allowed to tie the knot anywhere in the United States, but the change had gone largely unnoticed until the World Net Daily news site reported it Tuesday．
“One of the nation’s most well－known dictionary companies has settled the argument over whether the term ‘marriage’ should apply to same－sex duos or be only used for the traditional institution that has held families together for ages by simply writing a new definition,” World Net wrote this Tuesday．
In its web and print editions．Merriam－Webster defines marriage as “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a relationship recognized by law．” In 2003 the company added a secondary meaning for “marriage” as “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage．”
Merriam－Webster said in a statement Wednesday that the added definition merely reflected the frequency with which the term “same－sex marriage” had popped up in print and become part of the general lexicon．“Its inclusion was a simple matter of providing dictionary users with accurate information about all of the word’s current uses, ”the company said, adding that it was surprised by the recent attention because it was “neither news nor unusual．”
“We were one of the last ones among the major dictionary publishers to do this．”said Merriam－Webster spokesman Arthur Bicknell．
Boston－based Houghton－Mifflin．publisher of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, modified its definition of marriage in 2000, adding a fourth example to the entry：“A union between two persons having the customary but usually not the legal force of marriage：a same－sex marriage．”
Only two states of the country, Connecticut and Massachusetts, legally recognize gay marriage five years ago．
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