Where does “marschal” come from?
marschal (Old French) comes from Old French mareschal, from Medieval Latin mariscalcus, from Frankish marhskalk, from Proto-Germanic *marhaskalk, from Proto-Germanic *marh, from Proto-Germanic marhaz, from Proto-Germanic skalkaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...
Ancestry of “marschal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | mareschal | Alternative form of marescal; farrier; military... |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | mariscalcus | groom, army commander, court dignitary |
| 3 | Frankish | marhskalk | servant assigned to horses; equerry |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *marhaskalk | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *marh | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | marhaz | horse |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | skalkaz | servant |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |