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marshal

[mahr-shuhl]
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noun
  1. a military officer of the highest rank, as in the French and some other armies.Compare field marshal.
  2. an administrative officer of a U.S. judicial district who performs duties similar to those of a sheriff.
  3. a court officer serving processes, attending court, giving personal service to the judges, etc.
  4. the chief of a police or fire department in some cities.
  5. a police officer in some communities.
  6. sky marshal.
  7. a higher officer of a royal household or court.
  8. an official charged with the arrangement or regulation of ceremonies, parades, etc.: the marshal of the St. Patrick's Day parade.
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verb (used with object), mar·shaled, mar·shal·ing or (especially British) mar·shalled, mar·shal·ling.
  1. to arrange in proper order; set out in an orderly manner; arrange clearly: to marshal facts; to marshal one's arguments.
  2. to array, as for battle.
  3. to usher or lead ceremoniously: Their host marshaled them into the room.
  4. Heraldry. to combine (two or more coats of arms) on a single escutcheon.
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Origin of marshal

1225–75; Middle English marshal, syncopated variant of mareschal < Old French < Germanic; compare Old High German marahscalh groom, equivalent to marah horse (see mare1) + scalh servant, cognate with Old English scealc
Related formsmar·shal·cy, mar·shal·ship, nounmar·shal·er; especially British, mar·shal·ler, nounre·mar·shal, verb (used with object), re·mar·shaled, re·mar·shal·ing or (especially British) re·mar·shalled, re·mar·shal·ling.sub·mar·shal, nounun·der·mar·shal, nounun·mar·shaled, adjectiveun·mar·shalled, adjective
Can be confusedmarshal marital martial

Synonyms

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9. order, dispose; convoke.

Synonym study

9. See gather.

Antonyms

9. scatter.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

assemble, mobilize, systematize, distribute, group, lead, deploy, muster, dispose, align, gather, space, direct, rank, collect, usher, escort, conduct, rally, array

Examples from the Web for marshal

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The necessary papers were made out and given to the Marshal.

  • He whispered to the marshal that he would return, and slipped through the window.

  • It was the marshal calling to them that Andrew was gone and inviting them in to finish him.

  • "He hadn't long to live, anyway," answered the marshal in some confusion.

  • "It looks like a woman's hand had been at work," concluded the marshal.

British Dictionary definitions for marshal

marshal

noun
  1. (in some armies and air forces) an officer of the highest rank
  2. (in England) an officer, usually a junior barrister, who accompanies a judge on circuit and performs miscellaneous secretarial duties
  3. (in the US)
    1. a Federal court officer assigned to a judicial district whose functions are similar to those of a sheriff
    2. (in some states) the chief police or fire officer
  4. an officer who organizes or conducts ceremonies, parades, etc
  5. Also called: knight marshal (formerly in England) an officer of the royal family or court, esp one in charge of protocol
  6. an obsolete word for ostler
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verb -shals, -shalling or -shalled or US -shals, -shaling or -shaled (tr)
  1. to arrange in orderto marshal the facts
  2. to assemble and organize (troops, vehicles, etc) prior to onward movement
  3. to arrange (assets, mortgages, etc) in order of priority
  4. to guide or lead, esp in a ceremonious way
  5. to combine (two or more coats of arms) on one shield
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Derived Formsmarshalcy or marshalship, nounmarshaller or US marshaler, noun

Word Origin

C13: from Old French mareschal; related to Old High German marahscalc groom, from marah horse + scalc servant
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 marshal

n.

early 13c. as a surname; mid-13c. as "high officer of the royal court;" from Old French mareschal "commanding officer of an army; officer in charge of a household" (Modern French maréchal), originally "stable officer, horse tender, groom" (Frankish Latin mariscaluis) from Frankish *marhskalk or a similar Germanic word, literally "horse-servant" (cf. Old High German marahscalc "groom," Middle Dutch maerschalc), from Proto-Germanic *markhaz "horse" (see mare (1)) + *skalkaz "servant" (cf. Old English scealc "servant, retainer, member of a crew," Dutch schalk "rogue, wag," Gothic skalks "servant").

Cognate with Old English horsþegn. From c.1300 as "stable officer;" early 14c. as "military commander, general in the army." For development history, cf. constable. Also from Germanic are Italian scalco "steward," Spanish mariscal "marshal."

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v.

early 15c., "to tend (horses)," from marshal (n.). Meaning "to arrange, place in order" is from mid-15c.; that of "to arrange for fighting" is from mid-15c. Figurative use by 1690s. Related: Marshaled; marshaling.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper