Maréchal
/maÊeÊal/noun
A French term meaning marshal, especially a high-ranking military officer or holder of a marshal title.
Did you know?The wordâs ancestor referred not to a commander, but to a stable official; medieval armies elevated the keeper of warhorses into the marshal who organized them.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*marhaz + *skalkaz
âHorse plus servant or retainerâ
Early Medieval Period
Frankish
*marhskalk
âA servant responsible for horsesâ
9thâ10th Century
Old High German
marah-scalc
âHorse servant or officer of the stablesâ
11th Century
Old French
mareschal
âStable official, later an officer overseeing cavalryâ
12thâ13th Century
Anglo-Norman
mareschal
âMarshal, a high royal or military officialâ
Modern French
French
maréchal
âMarshal; a senior military rank or titleâ