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march 1 (märch)
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v. marched, march·ing, march·es
v.intr.
1.
a. To walk steadily and rhythmically forward in step with others.
b. To begin to move in such a manner: The troops will march at dawn.
2.
a. To proceed directly and purposefully: marched in and demanded to see the manager.
b. To progress steadily onward; advance: Time marches on.
3. To participate in an organized walk, as for a public cause.
v.tr.
1. To cause to move or otherwise progress in a steady rhythmical manner: march soldiers into battle; marched us off to the dentist.
2. To traverse by progressing steadily and rhythmically: They marched the route in a day.
n.
1. The act of marching, especially:
a. The steady forward movement of a body of troops.
b. A long tiring journey on foot.
2. Steady forward movement or progression: the march of time.
3. A regulated pace: quick march; slow march.
4. The distance covered within a certain period of time by moving or progressing steadily and rhythmically: a week's march away.
5. Music A composition in regularly accented, usually duple meter that is appropriate to accompany marching.
6. An organized walk or procession by a group of people for a specific cause or issue.
Idioms:
on the march
Advancing steadily; progressing: Technology is on the march.
steal a march on
To get ahead of, especially by quiet enterprise.

[Middle English marchen, from Old French marchier, from Frankish *markōn, to mark out; see merg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
march 2 (märch)
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n.
1. The border or boundary of a country or an area of land; a frontier.
2. A tract of land bordering on two countries and claimed by both.
intr.v. marched, march·ing, march·es
To have a common boundary: England marches with Scotland.

[Middle English, from Old French marche, of Germanic origin; see merg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.