marquess

noun

mar·​quess ˈmär-kwəs How to pronounce marquess (audio)
variants or marquis
ˈmär-kwəs How to pronounce marquess (audio)
mär-ˈkē
plural marquesses or marquises ˈmär-kwə-səz How to pronounce marquess (audio) or marquis mär-ˈkē(z) How to pronounce marquess (audio)
1
: a nobleman of hereditary rank in Europe and Japan
2
: a member of the British peerage ranking below a duke and above an earl
marquessate noun
or marquisate

Examples of marquess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At last, definitive advice on how to address the wife of a younger son of a marquess; the royal heir apparent of a Malaysian state; the territorial commander of the Salvation Army; the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023 Family members also lent important pieces: the 7th marquess of Cholmondeley, for example, provided a series of magnificent portraits by Sargent from the collection at his home, Houghton Hall, in Norfolk, England. James Reginato, Town & Country, 2 Mar. 2023 Franco’s forces and his fascist allies to an Andalusian marquess who sets out to hunt communists with his personal death squad to a militia woman who saves the life of a right-wing lawyer out of compassion. Liza Foreman, Variety, 6 Nov. 2022 In Genoa when staying at the Grand Hotel Savoia the hotel could arrange for a very special afternoon tea— with a marquess at the Palazzo Cattaneo-Adorno, one of the Rolli palaces designated as a World Heritage Site. Catherine Sabino, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2021 The Victorian wit sues the Marquess of Queensberry for libel, egged on by the marquess’ son, Lord Alfred. Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2021 Somewhere along the way, Bertie rose to marquess status, so Edith technically outranks her family. Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2019 Lansdowne became a marquess at age 21, upon his father’s death, while still a student at Oxford. William Anthony Hay, WSJ, 26 Dec. 2018 The Queen can choose from five titles for a man -- duke, marquess, earl, viscount or baron -- and for a woman -- duchess, marchioness, countess, viscountess and baroness. Angela Dewan, CNN, 19 May 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'marquess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English marquis, markis, from Anglo-French marquys, markys, from marche march

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of marquess was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near marquess

Cite this Entry

“Marquess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marquess. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

marquess

noun
mar·​quess ˈmär-kwəs How to pronounce marquess (audio)
1
: a nobleman of hereditary rank in Europe and Japan
2
: a British nobleman ranking below a duke and above an earl
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