Gretna Green
noun/ˌɡretnə ˈɡriːn/
/ˌɡretnə ˈɡriːn/
- a village in Scotland near the border with England, famous in the past as a place where English couples used to go to get married when they were not allowed to get married in EnglandCultureThe Scottish laws concerning marriage were much less strict, and many couples were married by the Gretna Green blacksmith (= a person whose job is making things out of iron). These marriages were made illegal in Scotland in 1940.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
Gretna Green