marchese

American

[mahr-key-zey, mahr-ke-ze] / mɑrˈkeɪ zeɪ, mɑrˈkɛ zɛ /

noun

plural

marchesi

an Italian nobleman, equivalent in rank to a marquis.

marchese British

/ marˈkeːze /

noun

(in Italy) a nobleman ranking below a prince and above a count; marquis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of marchese

From Italian, dating back to 1510–20; marquis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A Florentine marchese with a pedigree dating to Donatello, the designer, artist, sportsman, politician and resort-hopper has etched his name into the fashion lexicon of the decade.

From Time Magazine Archive

Shaw, Dylan Thomas, Hardy and Yeats, lord mayors, marchese, duchesses, generals and politicians�all felt the pierce of his eye.

From Time Magazine Archive

The marchese may well have thought me reserved, for it is true that I could barely be civil to him.

From The Fool Errant Being the Memoirs of Francis-Anthony Strelley, Esq., Citizen of Lucca by Hewlett, Maurice Henry

"The marchese should be here at any moment now," said Mr. Buzzacott, looking at his watch.

From Mortal Coils by Huxley, Aldous

The marchese stared at him in blank amazement.

From Stories By English Authors: Italy (Selected by Scribners) by Oliphant, Laurence

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023