marquis

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UK/ˈmɑː.kwɪs/US/mɑɹˈki/US/ˈmɑɹ.kwɪs/US/mɑɹˈkiz/

noun

A nobleman in England, France, and Germany, of a rank next below that of duke, but above a count. Originally, the marquis was an officer whose duty was to guard the marches or frontiers of the kingdom. The office has ceased, and the name is now a mere title conferred by letters patent or letters close.

Similar
marquess
OriginMiddle English markis ← Old French markis ← Late Latin marchensis →
Less commonScrabble 18
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Meanings

marquis1

nounmarquis (plural marquises or marquis or (obsolete) marquisses)

plural marquises · obsolete plural marquisses · alternative marquess · alternative marquesse

  1. A nobleman in England, France, and Germany, of a rank next below that of duke, but above a count. Originally, the marquis was an officer whose duty was to guard the marches or frontiers of the kingdom. The office has ceased, and the name is now a mere title conferred by letters patent or letters close.
  2. Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Asian genus Bassarona (or Euthalia).

Marquis2

proper nounMarquis (countable and uncountable, plural Marquises)

plural Marquises

  1. countableuncountableA surname from French.
  2. A place name:
    1. countableuncountableA town in Grenada, West Indies.
    2. countableuncountableA new neighbourhood in north-east Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
    3. countableuncountableA rural municipality in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada; in full, the Rural Municipality of Marquis No. 191.
    4. countableuncountableA village within the Saskatchewan municipality.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounnobleman (in various countries) ranking above a count

Similar
marquess
Broader
lordnoblenobleman
Also see
marquess

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

marquis · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*mórǵs“edge, boundary”
  2. Proto-Germanic*markō
  3. Frankish*marku
  4. Old High Germanmarcha
  5. Late Latinmarchensis
  6. Old Frenchmarkis
  7. Middle Englishmarkis
  8. Englishmarquis

From Middle English markis, from Old French markis, marchis, from Late Latin marchensis, from Old High German marcha and Frankish *marku, from Proto-Germanic *markō, from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (“edge, boundary”). Meaning is “lord of the march”, in sense of march (“border country”).

More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Marquis · proper noun

  1. Frenchmarquis
  2. Frenchmarquis
  3. EnglishMarquis

Borrowed from French marquis.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

asquirm
Cite this entry
APA

marquis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marquis

MLA

“marquis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marquis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “marquis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marquis.

Source: marquis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.