What is Marriage?

What is marriage and who defines it? The American Heritage dictionary defines it as: 1.a. The state of being husband and wife; wedlock. b. The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. 2. The act of marrying or the ceremony of being married; a wedding. 3. Any close union: a true marriage of minds. 4. The combination of the king and queen of the same suit , as in pinochle. [Middle English mariage, from Old French, from marier, to marry]. The Oxford Etymology dictionary defines "marry" as: to join in or enter into wedlock. It defines "wedlock" as: marriage vow OE.; union ofman and woman as husband and wife. XIII. Late OE welac, f. we pledge, wed+-lac -lock. So, if we look at this, marriage is a union. It is pledge between two people who wish to commit themselves to one another....