an official charged with the arrangement or regulation of ceremonies, parades, etc.: the marshal of the St. Patrick's Day parade.
–verb (used with object)
9.
to arrange in proper order; set out in an orderly manner; arrange clearly: to marshal facts; to marshal one's arguments.
10.
to array, as for battle.
11.
to usher or lead ceremoniously: Their host marshaled them into the room.
12.
Heraldry. to combine (two or more coats of arms) on a single escutcheon.
[Origin: 1225–75; ME marshal, syncopated var. of mareschal < OF < Gmc; cf. OHG marahscalh groom, equiv. to marah horse (see mare1) + scalh servant, c. OE scealc]
—Related forms
mar·shal·cy, mar·shal·ship, noun
mar·shal·er; especially British, mar·shal·ler, noun
A military officer of the highest rank in some countries.
A field marshal.
A U.S. federal officer of a judicial district who carries out court orders and discharges duties similar to those of a sheriff.
A city law enforcement officer in the United States who carries out court orders.
The head of a police or fire department in the United States.
A U.S. federal officer of a judicial district who carries out court orders and discharges duties similar to those of a sheriff.
A city law enforcement officer in the United States who carries out court orders.
The head of a police or fire department in the United States.
A person in charge of a parade or ceremony.
A high official in a royal court, especially one aiding the sovereign in military affairs.
v.
mar·shaled also mar·shalled, mar·shal·ing also marshal·ling, mar·shals also mar·shals
v.
tr.
To arrange or place (troops, for example) in line for a parade, maneuver, or review.
To arrange, place, or set in methodical order: marshal facts in preparation for an exam. See Synonyms at arrange.
To enlist and organize: trying to marshal public support.
To guide ceremoniously; conduct or usher.
v.
intr.
To take up positions in or as if in a military formation.
To take form or order: facts marshaling as research progressed.
[Middle English, from Old French mareschal, of Germanic origin.]
mar'shal·cy, mar'shal·ship' n.
Word History: Hard-riding marshals of the Wild West in pursuit of criminals reemphasize the relationship of the word marshal with horses. The Germanic ancestor of our word marshal is a compound made up of *marhaz, "horse" (related to the source of our word mare), and *skalkaz, "servant," meaning as a whole literally "horse servant," hence "groom." The Frankish descendant of this Germanic word, *marahskalk, came to designate a high royal official and also a high military commander—not surprising given the importance of the horse in medieval warfare. Along with many other Frankish words, *marahskalk was borrowed into Old French by about 800; some centuries later, when the Normans established a French-speaking official class in England, the Old French word came with them. In English, marshal is first recorded in 1218, as a surname (still surviving in the spelling Marshall); its first appearance as a common noun was in 1258, in the sense "high officer of the royal court." The word was also applied to this high royal official's deputies, who were officers of courts of law, and it continued to designate various officials involved with courts of law and law enforcement, including the horseback-riding marshals we are familiar with in the United States.
1218, from O.Fr. mareschal, originally "stable officer, horse tender, groom" (Frankish L. mariscaluis) from Frank. *marhskalk, lit. "horse-servant" (cf. O.H.G. marahscalc "groom"), from P.Gmc. *markhaz "horse" (see mare (1)) + *skalkaz "servant" (cf. Du. schalk "rogue, wag," Goth. skalks "servant"). Cognate with O.E. horsþegn. For development history, cf. constable. The verb "to arrange for fighting" is from 1587.
Mare\ (m[^a]r), n. [OE. mere, AS. mere, myre, fem of AS. mearh horse, akin to D. merrie mare, G. m["a]hre, OHG. marah horse, meriha mare, Icel. marr horse, OCelt. marka (Pausan. 19, 19,4), Ir. marc, W. march. Cf. Marshal.] The female of the horse and other equine quadrupeds.
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