what is the meaning of the french title, marquise
Marquis [mar-quis]â¼ as a boys' name is pronounced mar-KEECE, MAR-kuss, mar-KEE. It is of Old French origin, and the meaning of Marquis is nobleman; lord of the borderlands. Originally a title of nobility for aristocrats whose holdings were situated in vulnerable border areas (the Marches). It is a lower rank than Duke, but higher than Earl, Viscount, or Baron.
It's a variant of Marquis. Technically, marquise is the feminine form of the title marquis. Marquis is title of nobility -- from the Old French word marchis march, borderland. It originally referred to someone who ruled on the borderlands of a region. So a Marquise is the wife or widow of a Marquis.