How words change!
I guess dictionaries are somewhat like laws. Often they just document what is already happening in society. Here's one of the latest -- a definition of "marriage," from the Online Dictionary of Miriam Webster. Main Entry: mar·riage Pronunciation: \?mer-ij, ?ma-rij\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English mariage, from Anglo-French, from marier to marry Date: 14th century 1 a (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage> b: the mutual relation of married persons : wedlock c: the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage 2: an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected ; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities 3: an intimate or close union <the marriage of painting and poetry — J. T. Shawcross> So, we can have debates over whether there is legal or moral precedence for same-sex marriage, but at this point there is a now officially a definition (although somewhat ambiguous by saying it is "like a traditional marriage" -- got to love those adjectives!!).
