marquise
marquise Lexical Profile
marquise Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A gemstone cut, or a ring setting, having an elongated oval shape that tapers to a point at both ends.
"She chose an engagement ring featuring a dazzling two-carat diamond in a classic marquise cut."
A non-British European noblewoman ranking above a countess and below a duchess, or the wife or widow of a marquis.
"The portrait in the grand gallery depicts a famous eighteenth-century French marquise."
A rich, chilled French dessert, typically made from dark chocolate, butter, sugar, and eggs, with a dense texture between a mousse and a ganache.
"For the final course, the chef served a decadent chocolate marquise paired with raspberry coulis."
An ornamental canopy or roof projection, often constructed of metal and glass, extending over the entrance of a building or hotel.
"Guests waited beneath the ornate iron-and-glass marquise while the valet brought their car around."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'marquise' with 'marquee' (which refers to a large tent or a sign projection over a theater entrance), though both derive from the same French root.
• Rhymes for marquise
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from French 'marquise', the feminine form of 'marquis', ultimately from Old French 'marchis' meaning 'ruler of a border area', from Germanic *marka ('border' or 'march'). The diamond cut is purportedly named after Madame de Pompadour, the Marquise de Pompadour, whose smile King Louis XV of France wished to replicate.