Ave Maria
Americannoun
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(italics) the first two words of the Latin version of a prayer in the Roman Catholic Church, based on the salutation of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary and the words of Elizabeth to her.
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a recitation of this prayer.
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the bead or beads on a rosary used to count off each prayer as spoken.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Ave Maria
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; ave
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome's southern EUR district, bells played "Ave Maria" for Riccardo as hundreds of people spilled out into the street, far too many to fit inside.
From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026
The champion mirrored Agent 47 in the Hitman video gaming series, making his entrance to Franz Schubert's Ave Maria - a song used in the game.
From BBC • Oct. 23, 2024
The project now covers 2,000 square miles encompassing smaller inland towns like Ave Maria.
From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2024
Miles Monchecourt added 12 points and six rebounds for Ave Maria.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 13, 2022
This community is in a great measure analogous to those societies of Europe in the later Middle Ages, which tried to accumulate the virtues of the Ave Maria sung by their members.
From An Introduction to the History of Japan by Hara, Katsuro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
