English

Noun

maréchaussée ‎(plural maréchaussées)

1. (historical) A type of local guard force, especially in France, commanded by a marshal; loosely, the police, the constabulary.
   • 1789, George Washington, letter, 6 Feb 1780:

     I do not unite the Maréchaussée, because that corps is destined for a particular service, to which it will be altogether applied in the course of the next campaign, nor should I think it advisable to convert it to any other purpose.

   • 1850, Charles Augustus Murray, Miranda:

     ‘Malediction,’ he muttered to himself, but then, with that peculiar command over himself which rarely quitted him, he at once recovered, and moved towards the two officers of the maréchaussée, now semi-inebriated.

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin 2003, p. 156:

     Peasant communities were often effectively self-policing, while the newly reorganized maréchaussée served as an ancillary peace-keeping force.

French

Etymology

Old French mareschaucie ‎(“marshalcy”) (with change of suffix), see maréchal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maʁeʃose/

Noun

maréchaussée f ‎(plural maréchaussées)

1. (historical) maréchaussée
2. (humorous) constabulary