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Marseille

1 British  
/ marsɛj /

noun

  1. Ancient name: Massilia.  English name: Marseilles.  a port in SE France, on the Gulf of Lions: second largest city in the country and a major port; founded in about 600 bc by Greeks from Phocaea; oil refining. Pop: 798 430 (1999)

"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
marseille 2 British  
/ mɑːˈseɪlz, mɑːˈseɪl /

noun

  1. a strong cotton fabric with a raised pattern, used for bedspreads, etc

"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 marseille

C18: from Marseille quilting, made in Marseille

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.

West was due to hold a concert in the southern French city of Marseille on June 11.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

In France, the mayor of Marseille said the rapper was "not welcome" for a concert planned there in June.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Some 20 French boats set sail from Marseille on Saturday to join up with an international flotilla making a renewed effort to break an Israeli blockade and deliver aid to Gaza, AFP reporters saw.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Marseille went ahead with the signing, and the 24-year-old has scored 47 times in 74 appearances across all competitions.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

On my desk was a framed photograph of my husband, Thierry, taken in Marseille two years before he died.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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.