Knighthead

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The rank, status or dignity held by a knight, a man granted a title of honour by a monarch
2. The condition of being a knight, including the honour, character and privileges associated with that title
3. An archaic form meaning the rank of knight, the title conferred on a man for chivalrous service

Etymology: Knighthead is a compound of "knight" and "head," and the source adds a detail that explains its use: it is sometimes applied to a carving of a man's head. The "head" element here is the familiar sense of a carved or sculpted head, as in a figurehead or a decorative terminal, and the knight is a figure in armour or a horse's head as seen in the design. Because the word is a plain combination of two common English words, there is no older borrowed root to trace. Its meaning comes straight from the pairing: a decorative carving of a man's head that a knight, or the shape of a knight, suggests. The compound follows the same pattern as other descriptive terms built from a noun plus "head," where the second element names a carved or formed end piece.