Roland

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical figure known for his valor in the battle of Roncevaux Pass as a hero in medieval literature
2. A name shared by various cultural references, including a character in the epic poem "The Song of Roland"
3. A term associated with bravery and loyalty, often depicted in chivalric tales and legends

Etymology: The name Roland belonged to a real man, or at least a real event: in 778 a Frankish rearguard was ambushed in the Pyrenees, and its commander is the historical figure behind the legend. Over the centuries he became Charlemagne's greatest paladin, the hero of the "Chanson de Roland" and other French romances. The name itself comes from Old French, which took it from a Frankish form that combined words meaning "fame" and "land," so the name roughly translates as "fame-land." A hero's name built from the idea of renown fits the role he later played in chivalric tales. The same name had a second life in Italy. In Italian romance it became "Orlando," and the two forms are doublets, meaning two words from one source that reached English by different routes. "Orlando" is the Italian form familiar from Ariosto's epic "Orlando Furioso," while "Roland" comes straight through French.