marshal

[ mahr-shuhl ]

noun

1. a military officer of the highest rank, as in the French and some other armies. Compare field marshal.
2. an administrative officer of a U.S. judicial district who performs duties similar to those of a sheriff.
3. a court officer serving processes, attending court, giving personal service to the judges, etc.
4. the chief of a police or fire department in some cities.
5. a police officer in some communities.
6. sky marshal.
7. a higher officer of a royal household or court.
8. an official charged with the arrangement or regulation of ceremonies, parades, etc.:

   the marshal of the St. Patrick's Day parade.

verb (used with object)

, mar·shaled, mar·shal·ing or (especially British) mar·shalled, mar·shal·ling.

1. to arrange in proper order; set out in an orderly manner; arrange clearly:

   to marshal facts; to marshal one's arguments.

   Synonyms: convoke, dispose, order

   Antonyms: scatter

2. to array, as for battle.
3. to usher or lead ceremoniously:

   Their host marshaled them into the room.

4. Heraldry. to combine (two or more coats of arms) on a single escutcheon.

marshal

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

noun

1. (in some armies and air forces) an officer of the highest rank
2. (in England) an officer, usually a junior barrister, who accompanies a judge on circuit and performs miscellaneous secretarial duties
3. in the US
   1. a Federal court officer assigned to a judicial district whose functions are similar to those of a sheriff
   2. (in some states) the chief police or fire officer
4. an officer who organizes or conducts ceremonies, parades, etc
5. Also calledknight marshal (formerly in England) an officer of the royal family or court, esp one in charge of protocol
6. See ostler
   an obsolete word for ostler

verb

1. to arrange in order

   to marshal the facts

2. to assemble and organize (troops, vehicles, etc) prior to onward movement
3. to arrange (assets, mortgages, etc) in order of priority
4. to guide or lead, esp in a ceremonious way
5. to combine (two or more coats of arms) on one shield

Derived Forms

• ˈmarshaller, noun
• ˈmarshalcy, noun

Other Words From

• marshal·cy marshal·ship noun
• marshal·er especially British, marshal·ler noun
• re·marshal verb (used with object) remarshaled remarshaling or (especially British) remarshalled remarshalling
• sub·marshal noun
• under·marshal noun
• un·marshaled adjective
• un·marshalled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of marshal¹

1225–75; Middle English marshal, syncopated variant of mareschal < Old French < Germanic; compare Old High German marahscalh groom, equivalent to marah horse ( mare ¹ ) + scalh servant, cognate with Old English scealc

Word History and Origins

Origin of marshal¹

C13: from Old French mareschal; related to Old High German marahscalc groom, from marah horse + scalc servant

Synonym Study

See gather.

Example Sentences

Fauci continued in 2012 and beyond to marshal support for NIH’s handling of the experiments with the H5N1 strain and for other gain-of-function projects.

From Washington Post

Since at least 2014, the DOJ’s asset forfeiture program, which is run by the marshals, has taken the same approach with cryptocurrency and opened up the stores of crypto it seizes to bids from the public.

From Vox

“With his shoulder insignia changed, it appears Pak was demoted from marshal of the Korean People’s Army, the highest military rank under Kim Jong Un, to vice-marshal,” according to NK News, an independent website in Seoul.

From The Daily Beast

His uniform would have displayed his rank as a marshal above a chest full of military medals.

From The Daily Beast

Robert Brandt, the chief deputy marshal at the courthouse, said officials are waiting for a determination on whether Tuesday’s fire was intentionally set or was an accident, possibly due to faulty wiring.

From Washington Post

It has a presence, it remains potentially destructive, but all we can do is attempt to marshal it.

From The Daily Beast

The earl was killed in battle and Marshal captured, but he would later be ransomed by the queen herself.

From The Daily Beast

With Marshal at his side, Richard crushed Philip and his armies.

From The Daily Beast

Marshal appears in many of the sources regarding these rulers, and therefore, it seems, much can be verified.

From The Daily Beast

Before dying in 1219, Marshal would begin the task of rebuilding England after decades of war.

From The Daily Beast

He distinguished himself in several campaigns, especially in the Peninsular war, and was raised to the rank of field marshal.

From Project Gutenberg

A mushir (marshal) would find it derogatory to his dignity to smoke out of a stem less than two yards in length.

From Project Gutenberg

Never had the genius of the Marshal stood higher than in this difficult retirement from Portugal.

From Project Gutenberg

An incident of the campaign of 1806 gave the Marshal's enemies an excellent opening for showing their dislike.

From Project Gutenberg

While secretly countenancing every attack on the Marshal, the Emperor, for family reasons, was loth to come to an open breach.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• assemble
• mobilize