marshal

• marshall (US)
• mareschal (obsolete)

From Middle English marchal, mareschal, marchall, from Anglo-Norman marescal, marschal and Old French marescal, mareschal (“farrier; military commander”), from Medieval Latin mariscalcus (“groom, army commander, court dignitary”), either from Frankish *marhskalk[1], or from Old High German marah-scalc (“horse-servant”)[2], from Proto-Germanic *marhaz + *skalkaz (whence Old Saxon maraskalk, marahscalc). Compare English mare + shalk.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːʃəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑɹʃəl/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)ʃəl
• Homophone: martial

marshal (plural marshals)

1. (historical) A high-ranking officer in the household of a medieval prince or lord, who was originally in charge of the cavalry and later the military forces in general.
2. A military officer of the highest rank in several countries, including France and the former Soviet Union; equivalent to a general of the army in the United States. See also field marshal.
3. A person in charge of the ceremonial arrangement and management of a gathering.
4. (US) A federal lawman.

marshal (third-person singular simple present marshals, present participle marshalling or marshaling, simple past and past participle marshalled or marshaled)

1. To arrange troops etc. in line for inspection or a parade.
   • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad‎:

     Nothing could be more business-like than the construction of the stout dams, and nothing more gently rural than the limpid lakes, with the grand old forest trees marshalled round their margins like a veteran army that had marched down to drink, only to be stricken motionless at the water’s edge.

2. (by extension) To arrange facts etc. in some methodical order.
3. To ceremoniously guide, conduct or usher.
4. To gather data for transmission.

• marshal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia