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Word of the Day : April 30, 2018
chivalry \SHIV-ul-ree\ noun
Definition
1 : mounted men-at-arms
2 : gallant or distinguished gentlemen
3 : the system, spirit, or customs of medieval knighthood
4 : the qualities of the ideal knight : chivalrous conduct
Did You Know?
In days of old when knights were bold, Anglo-French speakers used the word chevaler (an ancestor of our word chevalier) for a knight or horseman. By the 14th century, English speakers had adopted the slightly modified spelling chivalry to describe their own well-armored, mounted warriors. Nowadays, when we say that chivalry is not dead, we are alluding to the high standard of character and conduct typically associated with gallant knights. If you trace chevaler back to Late Latin, you'll find that it derives from caballarius, which is also the ancestor of another term for a daring medieval gentleman-at-arms: cavalier.
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Aired April 30, 2018
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