knight
[ nahyt ]
/ naɪt /
noun
verb (used with object)
to dub or make (a man) a knight.
Origin of knight
before 900; Middle English; Old English
cniht boy, manservant; cognate with German, Dutch
knecht servant
OTHER WORDS FROM knight
knight·less, adjective un·knight·ed, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH knight
knight nightWords nearby knight
Definition for knights (2 of 2)
Knights, The
noun
a comedy (424 b.c.) by Aristophanes.
Example sentences from the Web for knights
British Dictionary definitions for knights (1 of 2)
Knight
/ (naɪt) /
noun
Dame Laura. 1887–1970, British painter, noted for her paintings of Gypsies, the ballet, and the circus
British Dictionary definitions for knights (2 of 2)
knight
/ (naɪt) /
noun
(in medieval Europe)
- (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
(tr)
to make (a person) a knight; dub
Word Origin for knight
Old English
cniht servant; related to Old High German
kneht boy
Cultural definitions for knights
notes for knight
Over the centuries, knighthood gradually lost its military functions, but it has survived as a social distinction in Europe, especially in
England.