Lafayette

[ laf-ee-et, laf-ey-, lah-fee-, -fey-; for 1 also French la-fa-yet ]
/ ˌlæf iˈɛt, ˌlæf eɪ-, ˌlɑ fi-, -feɪ-; for 1 also French la faˈyɛt /

noun

Ma·rie Jo·seph Paul Yves Roch Gil·bert du Mo·tier [ma-ree zhaw-zef pawl eev rawk zheel-ber dy maw-tyey] /maˈri ʒɔˈzɛf pɔl iv rɔk ʒilˈbɛr dü mɔˈtyeɪ/, Marquis de.Also La Fayette.1757–1834, French soldier, statesman, and liberal leader, who served in the American Revolutionary Army as aide-de-camp to General Washington, and took a leading part in the French revolutions of 1789 and 1830.
a city in S Louisiana.
a city in W Indiana, on the Wabash River.
a town in W California.

British Dictionary definitions for lafayette, marquis de

Lafayette

La Fayette

/ (French lafajɛt) /

noun

Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier (mari ʒozɛf pɔl iv rɔk ʒilbɛr dy mɔtje), Marquis de Lafayette. 1757–1834, French general and statesman. He fought on the side of the colonists in the War of American Independence and, as commander of the National Guard (1789–91; 1830), he played a leading part in the French Revolution and the revolution of 1830
Marie-Madeleine (marimadlɛn), Comtesse de Lafayette. 1634–93, French novelist, noted for her historical romance La Princesse de Clèves (1678)

Cultural definitions for lafayette, marquis de

Lafayette, Marquis de
[ (lah-fee-et, laf-ee-et) ]

A French nobleman, political leader, and general of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Enthusiastic for the ideals of the American Revolutionary War, Lafayette served as a general in the American army during the Revolutionary War, fighting alongside his friend George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown and elsewhere. On returning to France, he was active in the early stages of the French Revolution.

notes for Lafayette, Marquis de

A United States Army officer, speaking at the tomb of Lafayette after United States forces had arrived in support of France in World War I, said, “ Lafayette, we are here.” He meant that the United States, in aiding France in the war, was returning the favor that Lafayette and the French had done for the United States in the Revolutionary War. The officer is sometimes identified as General John Pershing.