Marquis
/mɑːrˈkiː/noun
A nobleman ranking below a duke and above an earl or count.
Did you know?Marquis comes from the same ancient root as march and mark, because a marquis was originally the lord of a border territory, not just a fancy aristocrat.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mereg-
“border, boundary”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*markō
“boundary, borderland”
Old High German
OHG
marcha
“border region”
Old French
French
marchis
“lord of a border territory”
Middle English
English
marquis
“a nobleman of rank below a duke”