Meanings
plural marquises
- historicalA marchioness, especially one who is French.
In 1986, she appeared in the stage adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuse opposite Alan Rickman, playing the manipulative marquise whose icy demeanour seems to have clung to Duncan's image like frost ever since, even though it is so at odds with her warmth in person.
2009 February 14, Emine Saner, “'She was a mass of contradictions - we all are'”, in The GuardianSynonyms: marchioness
- A marquee.
- architectureA canopy, usually of glass, set as a shelter over a door opening onto a terrace or pavement.
The house was a big elaborate limestone affair, evidently new. Winter sunshine sparkled on lace-hung casement, on glass marquise, and the burnished bronze foliations of grille and door.
1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter I, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC - historicalA style of parasol of the mid-19th century.
- cookingA rich dessert made with dark chocolate, butter, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, and cream.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA marchioness, especially one who is French.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna noblewoman ranking below a duchess and above a countess
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchmarquise
- Frenchmarquise
- Englishmarquise
Borrowed from French marquise.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
marquise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marquise
“marquise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marquise. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “marquise,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/marquise.
Source: marquise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.