“It is impossible for persons of the same sex to marry each other.”

Okay, “matrimony” is from “mater,” but you still can’t draw inferences from the roots of words.

Some examples:

Is “influenza” really from the “influence of the stars?”

If it’s “dreary” out, does that really mean it’s dripping blood?

Is a “walnut” necessarily foreign?

No.

I think of this sort of argument as “ripping a word out by its roots.” It’s a lot like ripping a plant out by its roots, as it doesn’t get you anything new.

The current use of the word “marry” has nothing to do with the ultimate roots of the word. Language is like that. The only thing etymology tells us is how the word changed over time. We cannot fix the word in some past meaning, even if history suggests it once had that meaning.

Even “matrimony,” in the contemporary meaning of “in the state of marriage” is not the same as a possible former meaning of “in the state of motherhood.” From your argument you could conclude that since men can’t be mothers, men can’t engage in matrimony. This leaves the question of who those women are going to marry.

Finally, everyone feels their moral views are correct. As it happens, I have moral views that I feel are completely justified. They conflict with yours on the point on equal protection under the laws for gay people.

I think the state’s denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples is a moral failure.

Thank-you for this opportunity to clarify. I did not say that the English word marriage comes from the Latin word matrimonium. I said, “The Latin word for marriage is matrimonium.” If you check any Latin to English dictionary, it will define matrimonium as marriage. It may additionally give the words wedlock and matrimony.

If you give the word matrimony to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it has this to say:

1303, from O.Fr. matremoine, from L. matrimonium “wedlock, marriage,” from matrem (nom. mater) “mother” + -monium, suffix signifying “action, state, condition.”

My word history is correct, as are my moral views.

Etymononline.com has this:

marry (v.)
1297, from O.Fr. marier, from L. maritare “to wed, marry, give in marriage,” from maritus “married man, husband,” of uncertain origin, perhaps ult. from “provided with a *mari,” a young woman, from PIE base *meri- “young wife,” akin to *meryo- “young man” (cf. Skt. marya- “young man, suitor”). Said from 1530 of the priest, etc., who performs the rite.
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Your word history is wrong. It comes from a word meaning “husband,” perhaps ultimately from a word for “young man.”

Your heaping your moral views onto language also have no bearing in fact.