marquis
noun
a nobleman ranking next below a duke and above an earl or count.
marquis
1 American
[mahr-kwis, mahr-kee, ma r -kee]
/ ˈmɑr kwɪs, mɑrˈki, marˈki /
noun
-
marquises,
plural
-
marquis
plural
Marquis
2
American
[mahr-kwis]
/ ˈmɑr kwɪs /
noun
Marquis
1
British
/ ˈmɑːkwɪs /
noun
marquis
2
British
/ ˈmɑːkwɪs, marki, mɑːˈkiː /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of marquis
1250–1300; Middle English markis < Middle French marquis < Italian marchese < Medieval Latin *( comēs ) marc ( h ) ēnsis (count) of a borderland. See march 2, -ese
Explanation
A marquis is a nobleman. If you're a marquis, your rank is higher than a baron or a count, but lower than a duke or a prince. In systems like monarchies, where people inherit a certain rank, a marquis is one of the title given to men. The French spelling, marquis, is common in most parts of Europe, although in Britain they prefer marquess. Sometimes being a marquis includes some real power to rule a territory, but it's more often just an honorary title. The equivalent for a woman is being a marchioness.
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.
See Examples For:
Gianfrancesco I, the first marquis, set the tone in the 1420s by inviting the Padua-based humanist Vittorino da Feltre, whose new Mantua academy created a template for Renaissance education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
A 2005 biography of Bradford suggested she was indeed descended from lofty stock by way of her mother, who was, it said, the illegitimate daughter of a marquis.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
An homage to Markle’s sensibilities, the Grace collection features marquis diamond earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2019
Just listening to him uttering the names of such characters as Don Angel de Guzmàn, marquis de Castel de Rodrigo, is a joy in itself.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2018
The marquis was 19 when he left France and reported to General Washington in Philadelphia in 1777.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
Chaminade put together an impressive 80-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter, taking a 14-7 lead on Marquis Jones’ seven-yard run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Marquis Brown always reports the job scams he encounters on LinkedIn and marks fishy emails for spam.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
As Mr. Marquis makes clear, war remained an immutable fact of Iroquois life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
David Prystajko, 44, was found dead at a property on Marquis Road on Saturday 22 November 2025.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
And Marquis, I got that from my uncle Larry’s car—he had a Grand Marquis.
From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones
“If those marquises came back to life and saw this house, they would surely die again,” joked Elayne Clavel, 26, wife of musician Villa.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 18, 2023
He became a close friend of counts, marquises and businesspeople, too.
From New York Times ● Oct. 18, 2014
The list was spattered with landowners, containing 11 dukes, six marquises, 14 earls and nine viscounts.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2013
But I just happened to mention to one of these marquises that for sightseeing I missed my own car.
From Time Magazine Archive
Müller’s painting in the Louvre depicts, with singular graphicness, this dreadful place of detention, where princes and princesses, counts, marquises, bishops, and all ranks were herded amid an excruciating agony.
From Dumas' Paris by M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
