martial

adjective

mar·​tial ˈmär-shəl How to pronounce martial (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or suited for war or a warrior
martial music
a martial tone of voiceTim Appelo
martial prowess
2
: relating to an army or to military life
martial discipline
stories of martial traditionEwen Macaskill
3
: experienced in or inclined to war : warlike
its martial people fought the British to a standstillMary Anne Weaver
martially adverb

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Martial and Roman Mythology

Mars was the Roman god of war and one of the patron gods of Rome itself. He was responsible for everything military, from warriors to weapons to marching music. Thus, martial arts are skills of combat and self-defense also practiced as sport. When martial law is declared, a country's armed forces take over the functions of the police. And a court-martial is a military court or trial.

Examples of martial in a Sentence

the marching band played “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and several other martial airs one of the basic tenets of martial law
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series orders See All Casting is underway for the roles: a skilled younger female martial artist, weapons expert and criminologist with a secret origin story who turns to McCall (Queen Latifah) for help, and an older male former top CIA operative. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024 Two new murals going up in the Chinatown-International District will pay homage to martial artist and film star Bruce Lee, who spent some of his formative years in Seattle. Melissa Santos, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024 With a 10-1 fight record, mostly against mixed martial artists and other pro-boxing newcomers under his belt, Paul, a former child star and YouTube prankster who began his boxing career in 2018, does not lack confidence — or showmanship. Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2024 Given some room to excel, albeit in roles that beg to be more deeply explored, are Tang Shiyi as Gui Ying, a schoolteacher and martial artist with a close connection to An’s family; and Bea Hayden Kuo as Xia An, the Banker’s illegitimate daughter who is romantically involved with An. Richard Kuipers, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for martial 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin martialis of Mars, from Mart-, Mars

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of martial was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near martial

Cite this Entry

“Martial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martial. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

martial

adjective
mar·​tial ˈmär-shəl How to pronounce martial (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or suited for war or a warrior
martial music
2
: of or relating to an army or to military life
martial discipline
martially adverb
Etymology

Middle English martial "relating to or suited for war," from Latin martialis "of Mars," from Mars "god of war"

Biographical Definition

Martial

biographical name

Mar·​tial ˈmär-shəl How to pronounce Martial (audio)
circa a.d. 40–circa 103 Marcus Valerius Martialis Roman epigrammatist

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