marplot

noun

mar·​plot ˈmär-ˌplät How to pronounce marplot (audio)
: one who frustrates or ruins a plan or undertaking by meddling

Did you know?

Beginning in the 17th century, people liked to prefix mar- to nouns to create a term for someone who mars, or spoils, something. A mar-joy was bad enough, but even worse was a mar-all. Although today the word plot often carries an implication of secrecy or ill intent, the "plot" used in the formation of "marplot" simply meant "a plan for the accomplishment of something." A marplot, therefore, can really mess up a perfectly good thing. The word may not have been invented by English playwright Susannah Centlivre, but it first surfaces in print in her 1709 play The Busy Body. That title refers to a character named Marplot, who misguidedly gets in the way of the lovers in the play.

Word History

First Known Use

1709, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of marplot was in 1709

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Dictionary Entries Near marplot

Cite this Entry

“Marplot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marplot. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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