Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or suggestive of war.
  • adjective Relating to or connected with the armed forces or the profession of arms.
  • adjective Characteristic of or befitting a warrior.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • [capitalized] Pertaining to or characteristic of the god Mars.
  • Of or pertaining to war; of warlike character; military; warlike; soldierly: as, a martial equipage or appearance; martial music; a martial nation.
  • Having reference to a state of war, or to a military organization; connected with the army and navy: opposed to civil: as, martial law; a court martial.
  • [capitalized] Pertaining to or resembling the planet Mars.
  • In old chemistry, having the properties of iron.
  • noun A soldier, or military man.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of, pertaining to, or suited for, war; military
  • adjective Practiced in, or inclined to, war; warlike; brave.
  • adjective Belonging to war, or to an army and navy; -- opposed to civil
  • adjective Pertaining to, or resembling, the god, or the planet, Mars.
  • adjective (Old Chem. & Old Med.), Archaic Pertaining to, or containing, iron; chalybeate.
  • adjective (Med.), [Obs.] a reddish crystalline salt of iron; the ammonio-chloride of iron.
  • adjective the law administered by the military power of a government when it has superseded the civil authority in time of war, or when the civil authorities are unable to enforce the laws. It is distinguished from military law, the latter being the code of rules for the regulation of the army and navy alone, either in peace or in war.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or suggestive of war; warlike.
  • adjective Relating to or connected with the armed forces or the profession of arms or military life.
  • adjective comparable Characteristic of or befitting a warrior; having a military bearing; soldierly, soldierlike, warriorlike.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective suggesting war or military life
  • adjective (of persons) befitting a warrior
  • noun Roman poet noted for epigrams (first century BC)
  • adjective of or relating to the armed forces

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin Mārtiālis, from Mārs, Mārt-, Mars.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin martialis ("of Mars (Roman god of war)")

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