martial
adjective
Origin of martial
OTHER WORDS FROM martial
Words nearby martial
Definition for martial (2 of 2)
noun
VOCAB BUILDER
What does martial mean?
Martial means relating to war, combat, or military life. It’s most commonly used in the phrases martial arts, martial law, and court-martial.
Less commonly, martial can mean warlike or characteristic of a warrior.
Example: Most marches originated as martial music that was used to help soldiers march.
Where does martial come from?
The first records of martial come from the 1300s. It derives from the Latin Mārtiālis, referring to Mars, the god of war in Roman mythology.
Sometimes, martial means “inclined or disposed to war,” such as when it’s applied to notoriously warlike societies, like the ancient Spartans, the Vikings, or the Mongols under Genghis Khan.
More commonly, martial is used in a general way to describe something that has to do with war or combat. Martial arts are the traditional forms of Asian self-defense or combat, such as karate and kung fu. Martial law refers to a situation in which military forces are used to temporarily keep order in an area when civil authority has broken down. A court–martial is a military court in which soldiers are tried for violating military law.
Martial should not be confused with its homophone marshal, which is the title of a high-ranking military officer.
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What are some other forms related to martial?
- martialism (noun)
- martialist (noun)
- martially (adverb)
- martialness (noun)
What are some synonyms for martial?
What are some words that share a root or word element with martial?
What are some words that often get used in discussing martial?
What are some words martial may be commonly confused with?
How is martial used in real life?
Martial is most commonly used in phrases that refer to combat, like martial arts, or the military, like martial law and court-martial.
“Bruce’s intention was, ‘How can I, through martial arts or
my philosophy, bring people together?’ I think we must try to understand Bruce Lee, not just Bruce Lee as a martial artist, but also as a humanitarian and also a good cause to bring people
together.” -Sifu Ted Wong, pic.twitter.com/IbQkwaS2I4— Bruce Lee (@brucelee) November 17, 2019
I'm reading a history book about the USA in the dawn of the 20th century, and the rise of martial society during prosperity.
— Denton Froese (@Labville) June 21, 2011
Valor of Indian soldiers in the world war fighting for the British was well known.Sikhs in particular were known for their martial spirit.
— suraj yadav (@suraj_yadav) January 23, 2016
Try using martial!
True or False?
The words martial and marshal are synonyms.