march

Etymology 1

From Middle English marchen, from Middle French marcher (“to march, walk”), from Old French marchier (“to stride, to march, to trample”), from Frankish *markōn (“to mark, mark out, to press with the foot”), from Proto-Germanic *markōną (“area, region, edge, rim, border”), akin to Persian مرز (marz), from Proto-Indo-European *merǵ- (“edge, boundary”). Akin to Old English mearc, ġemearc (“mark, boundary”). Compare mark, from Old English mearcian.

noun

1. A formal, rhythmic way of walking, used especially by soldiers, bands and in ceremonies.
2. A political rally or parade
3. Any song in the genre of music written for marching (see Wikipedia's article on this type of music)
4. Steady forward movement or progression.
   the march of time
5. (euchre) The feat of taking all the tricks of a hand.

verb

1. (intransitive) To walk with long, regular strides, as a soldier does.
2. (transitive) To cause someone to walk somewhere.
   The old man heaved himself from the chair, seized Jessamy by her pinafore frill and marched her to the house. 1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, page 84
3. To go to war; to make military advances.
4. (figurative) To make steady progress.

Etymology 2

From Middle English marche (“tract of land along a country's border”), from Old French marche (“boundary, frontier”), from Frankish *marku, from Proto-Germanic *markō, from Proto-Indo-European *merǵ- (“edge, boundary”).

noun

1. (now archaic, historical) A border region, especially one originally set up to defend a boundary.
2. (historical) A region at a frontier governed by a marquess.
3. Any of various territories with similar meanings or etymologies in their native languages.
   Juan's companion was a Romagnole, / But bred within the March of old Ancona[…]. 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, section IV

verb

1. (intransitive) To have common borders or frontiers

Etymology 3

From Middle English merche, from Old English merċe, mereċe, from Proto-West Germanic *marik, from Proto-Indo-European *móri (“sea”). Cognate Middle Low German merk, Old High German merc, Old Norse merki (“celery”). Compare also obsolete or regional more (“carrot or parsnip”), from Proto-Indo-European *mork- (“edible herb, tuber”).

noun

1. (obsolete) Smallage.