marque

[ mahrk ]

/ mɑrk /

noun

letter of marque.

Obsolete. seizure by way of reprisal or retaliation.

Nearby words

Origin of marque

1375–1425; late Middle English < Middle French < Provençal marca seizure by warrant (orig. token) < Germanic; see mark¹

marque

[ mahrk ]

/ mɑrk /

noun

a product model or type, as of a luxury or racing car.

Origin of marque

1905–10; < French: literally, mark, sign, noun derivative of marquer to mark, probably dial. derivative of Old French merc, merche boundary, boundary marker < Old Norse merki (from same Germanic base as march², mark¹, marque¹

La Marque

[ luh-mahrk ]

/ ləˈmɑrk /

noun

a city in SE coastal Texas.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for marque

They would start legally enough, for they began as privateersmen under legal letters of marque in the wars.
The Quaker Colonies|Sydney G. Fisher
Letters of Marque were granted by the Governor of the Mauritius.
Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea|Charles H. L. Johnston
Two footmen rushed forward under the marque, and a third at the head of the stairs began walking in front of him.
Sentimental Education Vol 1|Gustave Flaubert
I take them to be merchantmen with letters of marque (privateers), and homeward bound.
Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the Sea|Charles H. L. Johnston

When privateers are taken by other countries, they are always taken by their vessels of war, and seldom by letters of marque.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton

British Dictionary definitions for marque

marque

/ (mɑːk) /

noun

a brand of product, esp of a car

an emblem or nameplate used to identify a product, esp a car

See letter of marque

Word Origin for marque

from French, from marquer to mark 1

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

Word Origin and History for marque

marque

"seizure by way of reprisal," mid-15c., in letters of marque "official permission to capture enemy merchant ships," from Anglo-French mark (mid-14c.), via Old French from Old Provençal marca "reprisal," from marcar "seize as a pledge, mark," probably from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German marchon "delimit, mark;" see mark (n.1)), but the sense evolution is difficult.