Where does “Marshal” come from?
Marshal derives from Middle English mareschal, from Middle English marchal, from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Frankish marhskalk.
Marshal (English): for someone who was in charge of the horses of a royal household, or an occupational surname for someone who looked after horses, or was responsible for the custody of prisoners
Definitions
- for someone who was in charge of the horses of a royal household, or an occupational surname for someone who looked after horses, or was responsible for the custody of prisoners
Ancestry of “Marshal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | marschal | Alternative form of marchal |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | mareschal | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | mariscalcus | groom, army commander, court dignitary |
| 4 | Frankish | marhskalk | servant assigned to horses; equerry |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *marhaskalk | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *marh | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | marhaz | horse |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | skalkaz | servant |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |