Emily Dickinson Lexicon

MARCH, n.¹ [L. Mars, the god of war.]

The third month of the year.

MARCH, n.² [F. marche; It. marzo; D. mark; G. marsch.]

1. The walk or movement of soldiers in order, whether infantry or cavalry. The troops were fatigued with a long march.
2. A grave, deliberate, or solemn walk. The long, majestic march. Pope.
3. A slow or laborious walk. Addison.
4. A signal to move; a particular beat of the drum. Knolles.
5. Movement; progression; advance; as, the march of reason; the march of mind.

MARCH, v.i.¹

To border on; to be contiguous to. [Obs.] Gower.

MARCH, v.i.² [Fr. marcher; Sp. and Port. marchar; G. marschiren; It. marciare, to march, to putrefy, L. marceo, Gr. μαραινω; Basque, mariatu, to rot. The senses of the Italian word unite in that of passing, departing. See Mar.]

1. To move by steps and in order, as soldiers; to move in a military manner. We say, the army marched, or the troops marched.
2. To walk in a grave, deliberate or stately manner. Like thee, great son of Jove, like thee, / When clad in rising majesty, / Thou marchest down o'er Delos' hills. Prior.

MARCH, v.t.

1. To cause to move, as an army. Buonaparte marched an immense army to Moscow, but he did not march them back to France.
2. To cause to move in order or regular procession. Prior.

MARCH-ED, pp.

1. Moved in a military manner.
2. Caused to move, as an army.

MARCH-ER, n.

The lord or officer who defended the marches or borders of a territory. Davies.

MARCH-ES, n. [plur. Sax. mearc; Goth. marka; Fr. marches; D. mark; Basque, marra. It is radically the same word as mark and march.]

Borders; limits; confines; as, lord of the marches. England.

MARCH-ING, n.

Military movement; passage of troops.

MARCH-ING, ppr.

Moving or walking in order or in a stately manner.

MAR-CHION-ESS, n.

The wife or widow of a marquis; or a female having the rank and dignity of a marquis. Spelman.

MARCH-PANE, n. [Fr. massepain; L. panis, bread.]

A kind of sweet bread or biscuit. [Not used.] Sidney.

MAR-CID, a. [L. marcidus, from marceo, to pine.]

Pining; wasted away; lean; withered. Dryden.

MAR-COR, n. [L.]

The state of withering or wasting; leanness; waste of flesh. [Little used.] Harvey.

MARE, n. [Sax. myra; G. mahre.]

1. The female of the horse, or equine genus of quadrupeds.
2. [Sax. mara, D. merrie, the name of a spirit imagined by the nations of the North of Europe to torment persons in sleep.] In medicine, sighing, suffocative panting, intercepted utterance, with a sense of pressure across the chest, occurring during sleep; the incubus. [It is now used only in the compound, nightmare, which ought to be written nightmar.]

MAR'E-CA, n.

A species of duck in South America.

MA-RE'NA, n.

A kind of fish somewhat like a pilchard.

MARE-SCHAL, n. [màrshal; Fr. marechal; D. and G. marschalk; Dan. marskalk, composed of W. marc, a horse, and the Teutonic scalk or skalk, schalk, a servant. This word is now written Marshal – which see.]

The chief commander of an army. Prior.

MAR-GA-RATE, n. [L. margarita, a pearl, from the Greek.]

In chimistry, a compound of margaric acid with a base.

MAR-GAR'IC, a. [supra.]

Pertaining to pearl. The margaric acid is obtained by digesting soap made of hog's lard and potash, in water. It appears in the form of pearly scales. Cyc.

MAR-GA-RIN, or MAR-GA-RINE, n.

A peculiar pearl-like substance, extracted from hog's lard. Silliman

MAR-GA-RITE, n.

1. A pearl. Peacham.
2. A mineral of a grayish white color, found in Tyrol. Phillips.

MAR-GA-RIT-IC-AC'ID, n.

A fatty acid which results from the saponification of castor oil.

MAR'GA-RONE, n.

A peculiar fatty substance, crystalizing in pearly scales, produced by the distillation of a mixture of margaric acid and quick-lime.

MAR-GA-TIF'ER-OUS, a.

Producing pearls.