noun
marrow
MA-roh
noun
1
The soft, fatty tissue inside bones that produces blood cells.
"Doctors took a sample of bone marrow to check for the disease."
2
A large, mild-flavoured vegetable related to squash and courgette.
"She stuffed the marrow with rice and herbs before baking it."
3
The essential or most important part of something.
"His speech got right to the marrow of the argument."
How to Use Marrow
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe substance inside bones, a type of large squash-like vegetable, or figuratively, the core essence of something.
Common pairings
bone marrow
to the marrow
stuffed marrow
Word Forms
marrows plural, marrows plural, Marrows plural
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Doctors took a sample of bone _____ to check for the disease.
Etymology
From Old English "mearg," related to German "Mark" and ultimately to a very old Indo-European word also behind the Russian and Polish words for "brain."