Phrase guide

field marshal

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

In certain nations the highest military rank, ranking below only the commander in chief; now mostly disused, being reserved for wartime or post-wartime use, and having become ceremonial in some countries.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an officer holding the highest rank in the army

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: marshal, marshall

Narrower terms: Hindenburg, Paul von Hindenburg, Paul Ludwig von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg, Joffre, Joseph Jacques Cesaire Joffre, Kitchener, Herbert Kitchener, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, First Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, Kutuzov, Mikhail Ilarionovich Kutuzov, Prince of Smolensk, Rommel, Erwin Rommel, Desert Fox, Rundstedt, von Rundstedt, Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt, Wavell, Archibald Percival Wavell, First Earl Wavell

History

Etymology

From field + marshal, calque of German Feldmarschall or its source, Middle French maréchal de camp.

Across languages

Translations

68 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: field marshall — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Arabic: مُشِير (mušīr) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Juba Arabic: mushiir — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Belarusian: фельдма́ршал (fjelʹdmáršal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Bulgarian: фелдмаршал (feldmaršal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Catalan: mariscal de camp — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Cherokee: ᏗᏓᏂᏱᏍᎩ (didaniyisgi) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Chinese Mandarin: 陸軍元帥 /陆军元帅 (lùjūn yuánshuài) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Chinese Mandarin: 元帥 /元帅 (yuánshuài) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Chinese Mandarin: 司令 (sīlìng) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Czech: polní maršál — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Czech: feldmaršál — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Czech: polní maršálek — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Czech: feldmaršálek — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Danish: feltmarskal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Dutch: veldmaarschalk — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Estonian: armeekindral — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Estonian: armee ülemjuhataja — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Finnish: kenttämarsalkka — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • French: maréchal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • French: maréchal de camp — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Georgian: ფელდმარშალი (peldmaršali) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • German: Feldmarschall — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • German: Generalfeldmarschall — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Greek: στρατάρχης (stratárchis) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Hebrew: פִילְדְמַרְשָׁל (fildmarshál) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Hebrew: פֶלְדְמַרְשָׁל (feldmarshál) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Hindi: फील्ड मार्शल (phīlḍ mārśal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Hungarian: tábornagy — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Hungarian: marsall — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Icelandic: sviði marshal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Irish: marascal machaire — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Italian: feldmaresciallo — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Italian: maresciallo di campo — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Japanese: 陸軍元帥 (rikugun gensui) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Japanese: 元帥 (gensui) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Kazakh: фельдмаршал (feldmarşal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Khmer: សេនាប្រមុខ (seeniəprɑɑmuk) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Korean: 원수 (wonsu) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Kyrgyz: фельдмаршал (feldmarşal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Lao: ແມ່ທັບ (mǣ thap) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Macedonian: фелдмаршал (feldmaršal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Malay: fil marsyal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Māori: ariki whawhai — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Norwegian: feltmarskalk — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Persian: فیلد مارشال (fild mâršâl) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Polish: feldmarszałek — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Polish: marszałek polny — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Portuguese: marechal de campo — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Portuguese: marechal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Romanian: feldmareșal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Russian: фельдма́ршал (felʹdmáršal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Serbo-Croatian: фе̏лдмарша̄л — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Serbo-Croatian: fȅldmaršāl — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Slovak: poľný maršal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Slovene: feldmaršal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Spanish: mariscal de campo — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Swedish: fältmarskalk — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Tamil: படைத்துறை உயர் தளபதி (paṭaittuṟai uyar taḷapati) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Thai: จอมพล (jɔɔm-pon) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Ottoman Turkish: فلدمارشال (feldmarşal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Ukrainian: фельдма́ршал (felʹdmáršal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Uzbek: felʼdmarshal — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Vietnamese: thống soái — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Vietnamese: thống tướng — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Vietnamese: thống chế — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Welsh: cadlywydd maes — highest military rank after the commander in chief
  • Yiddish: פֿעלדמאַרשאַל (feldmarshal) — highest military rank after the commander in chief