Marches

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈmɑɹt͡ʃɪz/

Definitions

1. Walks in a deliberate or rhythmic way, often as part of a group action or demonstration ; moves forward in a military style typically by troops ; makes steady progress through time or events
2. Moves by regular steps usually during a parade or rally ; proceeds with organized military movement ; advances gradually through stages or developments
3. Takes measured steps usually in a formal or collective manner ; goes onward with military precision ; continues steadily toward a goal or completion

Etymology: The verb comes from Old French "marchier," meaning "to stride, to march, to trample," and that sense of trampling is the surprise. The Old French word traces back to a Frankish verb "markōn," meaning "to mark, mark out, to press with the foot." In other words, the original idea was pressing a path into the ground, the way repeated footsteps leave a trail. Middle English borrowed it as "marchen," and the sense of a deliberate, rhythmic walk came later, so a marching column is essentially a line of feet that has stamped its own track. The sense of advancing "gradually through stages" builds on that same picture of steady, step-by-step progress. The noun "march" meaning a border region is a separate word with an unrelated origin. It came into English through Old French "marche," meaning "boundary, frontier," which goes back to a Proto-Germanic word for edge or boundary. Because the two words sound identical, "marches" in the plural can also mean border lands, though this sense is distinct from the verb.

Synonyms: parades, processions, strolls, walks, tramps

Antonyms: stays, sits, remains, halts, pauses