Where does “marshal” come from?
Marshal derives from Middle English mareschal and marchal, from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Frankish marhskalk and Proto-Indo-European (s)kel-.
marshal (English): A high-ranking officer in the household of a...
Definitions
- A high-ranking officer in the household of a...
Ancestry of “marshal”, step by step
marshal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mareschal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mareschal | Alternative form of marchal |
| 2 | Middle English | marchal | A high-ranking officer in the household of the... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | marescal | marshal |
| 4 | Old French | mareschal | Alternative form of marescal; farrier; military... |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | mariscalcus | groom, army commander, court dignitary |
| 6 | Frankish | marhskalk | servant assigned to horses; equerry |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *marhaskalk | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *marh | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | marhaz | horse |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | skalkaz | servant |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |
via Middle English marchall
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | marchall | Alternative form of marchal |