marshal

  • noun 1 an officer of the highest rank in the armed forces of some countries. 2 chiefly historical a high-ranking officer of state. 3 (in the US) a federal or municipal law officer. 4 an official responsible for supervising public events. 5 (in the UK) an official accompanying a judge on circuit.

  • verb (marshalled, marshalling; US marshaled, marshaling) 1 assemble (a group of people, especially soldiers) in order. 2 bring together (facts, information, etc.) in an organized way. 3 direct the movement of (an aircraft) on the ground at an airport.

  — ORIGIN Old French mareschal ‘farrier, commander’, from Latin mariscalcus.

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