Monday, June 18, 2012

marshal, martial

Marshal or marshal means a type of military or law enforcement officer--
The marshal is still the law enforcement authority in some communities.
The U.S. federal government doesn't have a sheriff, but it does have a marshal service.
Marshal is also a verb ( action word ) meaning to group or arrange one's forces or resources--
Make sure to marshal your facts before beginning an argument.
The spectators watched him marshal the troops for review.

Martial or martial ( rhymes with marshal ) describes something related to or reminiscent of the military or war--
The peaked cap he wore gave him a martial aspect.
The president considered declaring martial law in force during the emergency.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The parade marshal arranged the bands and troops so that onlookers heard a medley of martial airs."

Note--not to be confused with "marital", meaning having to do with marriage or a married couple---
The police came to the door to investigate the loud marital dispute.

Note # 2--"Marshall", capitalized, is a proper name--the name of a specific person or place--
The Marshall plan helped  Europe recover from the war.

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