Word of the Day

: December 29, 2014

marshal

noun MAR-shul

What It Means

1 : a person who arranges and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering

2 : an officer of the highest rank in some military forces

3 : a federal official having duties similar to a sheriff's

4 : the administrative head of a police or fire department

marshal in Context

A judge ordered marshals to seize the cargo.

"Thank you to the parade marshal for keeping all of us in our place for the parade and ensuring that the ceremony proceeded on time." - Pat Strack, Borehamwood Times (UK), November 20, 2014

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.