What does martial mean?
Word: Martial
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Martial means connected with fighting or soldiers, as in martial arts, the sports of self-defence such as karate and judo.
Synonyms: military, fighting
Antonyms: peaceful
Sounds like: marshal (to gather people or things together and arrange them in order)
How do you spell martial?
Syllables: mar - tial
Tricky part: Martial has a sound-alike twin that is spelt differently and means something else, so check the meaning before you choose.
Watch out for: martiel, marshial
Memory tip: Martial comes from Mars, the Roman god of war, and keeps his name at the front.
Martial in a sentence
Example 1: Meera has a black belt in karate, a Japanese martial art.
Example 2: Our school offers judo and other martial arts after class.
Example 3: Kavin practises taekwondo, a Korean martial art, every Saturday morning.
Fun Fact
Kalaripayattu, from Kerala, is one of the oldest martial arts still practised in India.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Choose the words that correctly fill the blanks in the two sentences:
1. At the cycle race, a ___ in a bright jacket waved the starting flag. 2. Kung fu is a ___ art that began in China.
a) 'martial' in both
b) martial/marshal
c) marshal/martial
d) 'marshal' in both
Show answer
c) marshal/martial. An official who helps run a race is a marshal; the fighting sport takes martial, the word linked with Mars.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. martial 2. lunar 3. solar a. linked with war and the armed forces b. to do with the sun c. to do with the moon
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Martial is linked with war, lunar is about the moon and solar is about the sun.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) partial
b) initial
c) essencial
d) martial
Show answer
c) essencial. The ending of essential is spelt the same way as partial; martial, partial and initial are all correct.
Word Champ
Read the three statements and choose the correct option:
1. A martial artist trains to defend herself. 2. A dojo is a hall where karate or judo is practised. 3. A black belt is the lowest grade in judo.
a) only 1 and 2 are true
b) only 2 and 3 are true
c) only 1 is true
d) all three are true
Show answer
a) only 1 and 2 are true. A black belt is one of the highest grades, so statement 3 is false.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which activity would you find in a martial arts class?
a) tuning the strings of a guitar
b) planting seeds in a tray
c) practising kicks and blocks
d) mixing paints on a palette
Show answer
c) practising kicks and blocks
2. Martial music is most likely to be played ___.
a) in a yoga class
b) at a lullaby concert
c) at a library reading hour
d) at the Republic Day parade
Show answer
d) at the Republic Day parade
