Humanities
Word curio icon

Word Curio

April 30, 2018

Word of the Day: Chivalry

1 CQ

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.

Build your vocabulary! Get Word of the Day in your inbox every day.

Test Your Vocabulary



  April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz








    Which is the best synonym of traduce?




                                  return
                                  dispatch
                                  betray
                                  shift








    Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
    TAKE THE QUIZ






    Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
    TAKE THE QUIZ

Aired April 30, 2018

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com

  • Recommended Recommended
  • History & In Progress History
  • Browse Library
  • Most Popular Library

Get Personalized Recommendations

Let us help you figure out what to learn! By taking a short interview you’ll be able to specify your learning interests and goals, so we can recommend the perfect courses and lessons to try next.

Start Interview

You don't have any lessons in your history.
Just find something that looks interesting and start learning!

Comments
500 characters max