Etymologically
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martial

Etymology and origin of the English word martial

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1374
Borrowed from
Latin Martialis
Ultimate origin
Latin (martialis)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmɑːʃəl/ (UK); /ˈmɑɹʃəl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is late Middle English marcial,[2] from Old French martial or directly borrowed from Latin Mārtiālis (“of Mars or war”),[2][3][4] from Mārs, Mārtis, the Roman god of war (see Mars).[5][2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to war or battle: about 1374 in the OED, about 1385 in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde in Barnhart.[7][2]

Semantic evolution

Sports and exercises that train for war are from 1412–20,[7] and the sense connected with the army, as opposed to civil, from the late 15th century (1470), surviving in court-martial.[5][7] Warlike, brave, given to fighting is from 1430–40.[7] Martial law, military rule over civilians, is first recorded in Sir Thomas More in 1533.[2][7] Martial music is from 1662,[7] and martial arts, the East Asian arts of combat, a 20th-century phrase.[2] With a capital, relating to the planet Mars, it is from the 1620s.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1374 – of war.[7]
  • 1430–40 – warlike.[7]
  • 1470 – military.[7]
  • 1533 – martial law.[2]
  • 1620s – of the planet Mars.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Relating to or suggestive of war.
  2. Relating to the armed forces or military life.
  3. Characteristic of or befitting a warrior.

Word family

  • martialism
  • martialist
  • martially
  • martialness
  • unmartial
  • nonmartial
  • martial art
  • martial law
  • Mars
  • March
  • Martian
  • court-martial
  • marshal

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Martial.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/martial. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·