Definition of marshal
1a : a high official in the household of a medieval king, prince, or noble originally having charge of the cavalry but later usually in command of the military forcesb : a person who arranges and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering a parade marshal
2a : field marshalb : a general officer of the highest military rank
3a : an officer having charge of prisonersb (1) : a ministerial (see ministerial 3) officer appointed for a judicial district (as of the U.S.) to execute the process of the courts and perform various duties similar to those of a sheriff (2) : a city law officer entrusted with particular dutiesc : the administrative head of a city police department or fire department
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Did You Know?
Although most French words are derived from Latin, a few result from the 3rd-century Germanic occupation of France, and the early French mareschal is one such word. Mareschal is related to Old High German marahscalc, formed by combining marah ("horse") and scalc ("servant"). Our marshal, which comes from mareschal, originally meant "a person in charge of the upkeep of horses" when it was borrowed into Middle English, but by the 13th century it described a high royal official as well. Eventually it came to have other meanings.
Origin and Etymology of marshal
Middle English, from Anglo-French mareschal, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German marahscalc marshal, from marah horse + scalc servant
First Known Use: 13th century
marshal
marshall
Definition of marshal
marshaled
ormarshalled
;marshaling
ormarshalling
\ˈmärsh-(ə-)liŋ\transitive verb
1 : to place in proper rank or position marshaling the troops
2 : to bring together and order in an appropriate or effective way marshal arguments marshaled her thoughts before answering the question
3 : to lead ceremoniously or solicitously : usher marshaling her little group of children down the street
intransitive verb
: to take form or order ideas marshaling neatly
Examples of marshal in a Sentence
She carefully marshaled her thoughts before answering the question.
marshaled their forces for battle
Origin and Etymology of marshal
see 1marshal
First Known Use: 15th century
Synonym Discussion of marshal
MARSHAL Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of marshal for English Language Learners
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: an officer of the highest rank in some military forces
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: a federal official who is responsible for doing the things that are ordered by a court of law, finding and capturing criminals, etc.
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: the head of a division of a police or fire department
marshal
Definition of marshal for English Language Learners
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: to arrange (a group of people, such as soldiers) in an orderly way
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: to move or lead (a group of people) in a careful way
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: to arrange or prepare (something, such as your thoughts or ideas) in a clear, effective, or organized way
MARSHAL Defined for Kids
Definition of marshal for Students
1 : a person who arranges and directs ceremonies a parade marshal
2 : an officer of the highest rank in some military forces
3 : a federal official having duties similar to those of a sheriff
4 : the head of a division of a city government fire marshal
Definition of marshal for Students
marshaled
ormarshalled
;marshaling
ormarshalling
: to arrange in order marshal troops
Law Dictionary
marshal
Legal Definition of marshal
1 : a ministerial officer appointed for each judicial district of the U.S. to execute the process of the courts and perform various duties similar to those of a sheriff
2 : a law officer in some cities (as New York) of the U.S. who is entrusted with particular duties (as serving the process of justice of the peace courts)
3 : the administrative head of the police or especially fire department in some cities of the U.S.
marshal
marshall
Legal Definition of marshal
marshaled
alsomarshalled
marshaling
alsomarshalling
: to fix the order of (assets) with respect to liability or availability for payment of obligations; also : to fix the order of (as liens or remedies) with respect to priority against a debtor's assets — see also marshaling
Learn More about marshal
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See words that rhyme with marshal Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for marshal Spanish Central: Translation of marshal Nglish: Translation of marshal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of marshal for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about marshal
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