Chevalier

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌʃɛvəˈlɪɚ/

Definitions

1. A skilled warrior or knight, especially one of noble rank in medieval France, or a member of certain orders of chivalry
2. A title for a man who is a knight or a member of the nobility, often recognized for valor in battle or adherence to chivalric ideals
3. An individual distinguished for their martial prowess and noble status, frequently associated with chivalric orders and bravery

Etymology: The word arrived in English by way of a horse. Latin "caballus" meant "horse," and a "caballarius" was a horseman, a man who looked after or rode horses. That Late Latin noun passed into Old French as "chevalier," meaning a mounted fighting man, and from there it reached English in Middle English as "chivaler" or "chevaler," first through the Anglo-Norman form of the word spoken in England after the Conquest. The English spelling did not stay put. Later, the word was refashioned after the French "chevalier," which is why the modern form looks so French and sounds so un-English. Its English meaning narrowed to a medieval knight, a mounted soldier of noble or gentle rank, and the word today mostly appears in that historical sense. Within the same family sit "caballero" in Spanish and "cavalier" in English, which are doublets: words that share a root but entered the language by different routes and took different shapes.

Synonyms: knight, gentleman, nobleman, hero, paladin

Antonyms: villain, coward, layman, peasant, commoner