knight
1 Americannoun
-
a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.
-
(in Europe in the Middle Ages) a man, usually of noble birth, who after an apprenticeship as page and squire was raised to honorable military rank and bound to chivalrous conduct.
-
any person of a rank similar to that of the medieval knight.
-
a man upon whom the nonhereditary dignity of knighthood is conferred by a sovereign because of personal merit or for services rendered to the country. In Great Britain he holds the rank next below that of a baronet, and the title Sir is prefixed to the Christian name, as in Sir John Smith.
-
a member of any order or association that designates its members as knights.
-
Chess. a piece shaped like a horse's head, moved one square vertically and then two squares horizontally or one square horizontally and two squares vertically.
-
Nautical.
-
a short vertical timber having on its head a sheave through which running rigging is rove.
-
any other fitting or erection bearing such a sheave.
-
verb (used with object)
noun
-
Eric, 1897–1943, U.S. novelist, born in England.
-
Frank Hyneman 1885–1972, U.S. economist.
noun
-
-
(originally) a person who served his lord as a mounted and heavily armed soldier
-
(later) a gentleman invested by a king or other lord with the military and social standing of this rank
-
-
(in modern times) a person invested by a sovereign with a nonhereditary rank and dignity usually in recognition of personal services, achievements, etc. A British knight bears the title Sir placed before his name, as in Sir Winston Churchill
-
a chess piece, usually shaped like a horse's head, that moves either two squares horizontally and one square vertically or one square horizontally and two squares vertically
-
a heroic champion of a lady or of a cause or principle
-
a member of the Roman class of the equites
verb
noun
Discover More
Over the centuries, knighthood gradually lost its military functions, but it has survived as a social distinction in Europe, especially in England.
Other Word Forms
- knightless adjective
- unknighted adjective
Etymology
Origin of knight
before 900; Middle English; Old English cniht boy, manservant; cognate with German, Dutch knecht servant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A long table sits at its center, flanked by a knight, a digital fireplace and weaponry.
From Los Angeles Times
The vow of a knight does not say to “defend the weak and innocent . . . especially if you have a crush on them.”
From Salon
True love was for fair princesses and maidens and knights in shining armor.
From Literature
“I equate the cowboy with what the medieval knight is to Europe, what the samurai is to Japan,” Singleton said.
From Los Angeles Times
We’re obviously very thematically about fathers and sons, knights and squires, and, to a certain extent brothers.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
