knight
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knight
a man awarded a nonhereditary title (Sir) by a sovereign in recognition of merit; a man devoted to the service of a woman
Not to be confused with:
night – darkness between sunset and sunrise
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
knight
(nīt)n.
1.
a. A medieval tenant giving military service as a mounted man-at-arms to a feudal landholder.
b. A medieval gentleman-soldier, usually high-born, raised by a sovereign to privileged military status after training as a page and squire.
c. A man holding a nonhereditary title conferred by a sovereign in recognition of personal merit or service to the country.
2. A man belonging to an order or brotherhood.
3.
a. A defender, champion, or zealous upholder of a cause or principle.
b. The devoted champion of a lady.
4. Abbr. Kt or N Games A chess piece, usually in the shape of a horse's head, that can be moved two squares along a rank and one along a file or two squares along a file and one along a rank. The knight is the only piece that can jump other pieces to land on an open square.
tr.v. knight·ed, knight·ing, knights
To raise (a person) to knighthood.
[Middle English, from Old English cniht.]
knight′ly adj. & adv.
knight′li·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
knight
(naɪt)n
1. (Historical Terms) (in medieval Europe)
a. (originally) a person who served his lord as a mounted and heavily armed soldier
b. (later) a gentleman invested by a king or other lord with the military and social standing of this rank
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (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
3. (Chess & Draughts) 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
4. a heroic champion of a lady or of a cause or principle
5. (Historical Terms) a member of the Roman class of the equites
vb
(tr) to make (a person) a knight; dub
[Old English cniht servant; related to Old High German kneht boy]
Knight
(naɪt)n
(Biography) Dame Laura. 1887–1970, British painter, noted for her paintings of Gypsies, the ballet, and the circus
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
knight
(naɪt)n.
1. (in the Middle Ages)
a. a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior.
b. a man, usu. of noble birth, who after serving as page and squire was raised to honorable military rank and bound to chivalrous conduct.
2. any person of a rank similar to that of the medieval knight.
3. a man upon whom nonhereditary knighthood is conferred by a sovereign, in Great Britain ranking next below a baronet.
4. a member of any association that designates its members as knights.
5. a chess piece shaped like a horse's head, moved one square vertically and then two squares horizontally or one square horizontally and two squares vertically.
v.t. 6. to dub or make (a man) a knight.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English cniht boy, manservant; c. Old High German kneht]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
knight
- esquire - At its root, it means "shield bearer (in service to a knight)," from Latin scutarius.
- forget-me-nots - May have gotten their name from the last words of a knight who drowned while trying to pick these flowers by a riverside.
- heart on one's sleeve - Comes from chivalry, when a knight wore a scarf or other item from his lady tied to his sleeve.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
knight
Past participle: knighted
Gerund: knighting
| Imperative |
|---|
| knight |
| knight |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  knight - originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal meritcarpet knight - a knight who spends his time in luxury and idleness (knighted on the carpet at court rather than on the field of battle) bachelor-at-arms, knight bachelor, bachelor - a knight of the lowest order; could display only a pennon banneret, knight banneret, knight of the square flag - a knight honored for valor; entitled to display a square banner and to hold higher command Knight of the Round Table - in the Arthurian legend, a knight of King Arthur's court knight-errant - a wandering knight travelling in search of adventure Templar, Knight Templar - a knight of a religious military order established in 1118 to protect pilgrims and the Holy Sepulcher male aristocrat - a man who is an aristocrat |
| 2. | knight - a chessman shaped to resemble the head of a horse; can move two squares horizontally and one vertically (or vice versa) chess game, chess - a board game for two players who move their 16 pieces according to specific rules; the object is to checkmate the opponent's king chess piece, chessman - any of 16 white and 16 black pieces used in playing the game of chess | |
| Verb | 1. | knight - raise (someone) to knighthood; "The Beatles were knighted" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
knight
noun cavalier, equestrian, horseman, gallant, chevalier, champion I wish I were a fit knight for the sea princess.
knight in shining armour saviour, deliverer, hero, defender, guardian, salvation, rescuer, protector, good Samaritan, redeemer, preserver believing in happy endings and knights in shining armour
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
حامِل وِسام رُتْبَة فارِسفارسفارِسفَرَس في لُعْبَة الشَّطْرَنْجيَمْنَح لَقَب فارِس
конрицар
jezdecpasovatrytíř
ridderspringer
ĉevalokavaliro
hevonenlyödä ritariksiratsuritari
konjskakačvitez
lovaggá üthuszárlólovag
riddarisá sem sæmdur er riddaratignslá til riddara
eques
„knight“ titulassuteikti „knight“ tituląžirgas
bruņinieksiecelt bruņinieku kārtāpiešķirt muižnieku kārtas tituluzirdziņš
jazdecpasovať na rytiera
vitezkonjskakač
dubbahästknektriddarespringare
knight
[naɪt]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
knight
n (= title, Hist) → Ritter m; (Chess) → Springer m, → Pferd(chen) nt, → Rössel nt; Knight of the Garter → Träger(in) m(f) → des Hosenbandordens; knight of the road (Brit hum) → Kapitän m → der Landstraße (hum); a knight in shining armour (fig) → ein Märchenprinz m
knight
:knight errantry
n → fahrendes Rittertum; (fig) → Ritterlichkeit f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
knight
(nait) noun1. in earlier times, a man of noble birth who is trained to fight, especially on horseback. King Arthur and his knights.
2. a man of rank, having the title `Sir'. Sir John Brown was made a knight in 1969.
3. a piece used in chess, usually shaped like a horse's head.
verb to make (a person) a knight. He was knighted for his services to industry.
ˈknighthood noun the rank or title of a knight. He received a knighthood from the Queen.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.