Chivalry

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈʃɪvəlɹi/

Definitions

1. A code of conduct associated with medieval knights emphasizing honor, courage, courtesy, and protection of the weak
2. A medieval system of honorable conduct emphasizing martial prowess, moral virtue, courteous behavior toward others, and protective duty to those in need
3. The historical ideal of noble warriors upholding integrity through brave deeds, respectful treatment of all persons, and selfless service to the vulnerable

Etymology: The core of "chivalry" is a horse. Medieval Latin "caballus" meant "horse" (a word that also gave us "cavalry" through a separate path, making the two a doublet), and "caballarius" came to mean a horseman, the mounted fighter who was the backbone of medieval armies. Old French turned that military figure into an abstract ideal: "chevalerie" named the status of the knight, the nobility that went with it, and the mounted troops themselves. English borrowed the French word in the late 13th century as "chivalerie." The ending "-erie" is the French suffix that turns a person into the condition or collection of people associated with them, as in "knight" becoming "knighthood." So the word began as a description of who a knight was and what he owned, and only later came to name the moral code we now associate with him.

Synonyms: gallantry, knighthood

Antonyms: cowardice, rudeness