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marquis

[ mahr-kwis, mahr-kee; French mar-kee ]
/ ˈmɑr kwɪs, mɑrˈki; French marˈki /
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noun, plural mar·quis·es [mahr-kwi-siz,] /ˈmɑr kwɪ sɪz,/ mar·quis [mahr-keez; French mar-kee]. /mɑrˈkiz; French marˈki/.
a nobleman ranking next below a duke and above an earl or count.
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Also British, marquess .

Origin of marquis

1250–1300; Middle English markis<Middle French marquis<Italian marchese<Medieval Latin *(comēs) marc(h)ēnsis (count) of a borderland. See march2, -ese

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH marquis

marque, marquee, marquess, marquis , marquise

Other definitions for marquis (2 of 2)

Marquis
[ mahr-kwis ]
/ ˈmɑr kwɪs /

noun
Don(ald Robert Perry), 1878–1937, U.S. humorist and poet.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use marquis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for marquis (1 of 2)

marquis
/ (ˈmɑːkwɪs, mɑːˈkiː, French marki) /

noun plural -quises or -quis
(in various countries) a nobleman ranking above a count, corresponding to a British marquess. The title of marquis is often used in place of that of marquess

Word Origin for marquis

C14: from Old French marchis, literally: count of the march, from marche march ²

British Dictionary definitions for marquis (2 of 2)

Marquis
/ (ˈmɑːkwɪs) /

noun
Don (ald Robert Perry). 1878–1937, US humorist; author of archy and mehitabel (1927)
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
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