field marshal
3
8.6
- noun
- /ˈfiːld ˈmɑːrʃəl/
- UK
- The Duke of Leoue had been King Ethelbhel's field marshal and now was that of his son.
- future field marshal
Examples
-
The field marshal is insisting on a court of inquiry!
-
After the operation, the field marshal held a briefing with his staff.
-
All right, but where is the field marshal?
-
I think I can get the field marshal to see things my way!
-
Give this to the field marshal!
-
The field marshal said what?
-
Enemy planes on our left, field marshal.
-
In 1933, he received the title of field marshal.
Academic text (1992) -
The field marshal was twenty years older than King Rudof and, like most ranking officers in such a situation, looked worried sick.
Fiction book (1990) -
Field marshal Rommel has been wounded.
Synonyms
20
7.4
A very high military officer who commands an army
14
8.0
A very senior military officer who commands a whole branch of the armed forces
3
9.9
The top army leader in charge of many armies
A high officer's job in the army or police
How High
- UK
3
8.6
∞
4.2
∞
7.7
- Specialized
685
4.9
∞
2.9
- Specialized
∞
5.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'field marshal' transparently combines 'field' (area of military operations) and 'marshal' (a senior military officer) to denote a marshal associated with command in the field, conventionally the highest army rank. This compositional pattern exists across many languages (e.g. French 'maréchal', Spanish 'mariscal de campo'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Field marshal comes from two words: field, meaning the battlefield, and marshal, an old name for a leader who first looked after soldiers' horses and later began to command troops. So the picture of a marshal leading men on the field became the idea of 'the highest rank' in an army.