marschal

Middle English

Alternative forms

• marchal, marchale, marchall, marchalle, marchel, mareschal, marschalle, marshall, marsshall

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman mareschal, from Medieval Latin mariscalcus, either from Frankish *marhaskalk or from Old High German marah-scalc (“horse-servant”), from Proto-West Germanic *marh + *skalk (whence Old Saxon maraskalk, marahscalc). Compare Middle English mere (“mare”) and schalk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmar(i)sˈt͡ʃal/, /marˈt͡ʃal/, /marˈʃal/
• (with stress shift) IPA^(key): /ˈmarist͡ʃal/, /ˈmart͡ʃal/, /ˈmarʃal/

Noun

marschal (plural marschals)

1. A high-ranking officer of the English royal court.
2. A stablemaster (one who supervises horses).
3. A marshal (supreme commander of an armed force).
4. A supervisor of the Marshalsea Court (alongside the king's steward).
5. A supervisor of the procedure or ceremonies.
6. (rare) The chief minister of the English royal court.

Derived terms

• erl marschal

Descendants

• English: marshal, marshall (US), mareschal (obsolete)
  • → Malay: marsyal
• Scots: marshal

References

• “marshal, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 30 December 2018.