Marquisat

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The rank, title or lordship held by a marquis, the noble position ranking between a duke and a count
2. The domain or territory over which a marquis holds authority, or the dignity that comes with being a marquis
3. The noble status of a marquis, including the title itself and the lands or privileges traditionally attached to it

Etymology: The title behind this word began as a job description. "Marquis" comes from Medieval Latin "marchensis," meaning a lord of a "marca," a border region or frontier territory. The Germanic root "mark" meant a boundary, the same root that gives English "mark" and "march," the frontier land, and the officers charged with defending it were the original marquises. The French suffix "-at," from Latin "-atus," turns the title into the name for the rank or the estate that goes with it. English took the word in the form "marquisate," and the British peerage later spelled the title "marquess," though the "-ate" noun kept the older shape. The word's sense thus moved from a frontier guard's post to an aristocratic dignity that could be held apart from any actual border.