camelot
camelot Lexical Profile
camelot Game Scores & Validity
• noun
(usually capitalized as Camelot) In Arthurian legend, the castle and court of King Arthur, associated with the Knights of the Round Table and an idealized realm of chivalry, peace, and justice.
"Medieval romances depict Camelot as the shining center of King Arthur's chivalric order."
(usually capitalized as Camelot) A place, time, or situation of idyllic happiness, enlightened leadership, and high-minded optimism, especially as applied to the presidency of John F. Kennedy.
"Historians often debate how much of the administration's legacy was policy and how much was the mystique of Camelot."
(chiefly in French contexts) A street peddler, hawker of small inexpensive wares, or newspaper vendor.
"The Parisian boulevard was crowded with camelots hawking cheap trinkets and evening papers to passersby."
Word Nuance & Usage
When capitalized as 'Camelot', it refers to the legendary court of King Arthur or figuratively to a brief, idealized golden age (notably the administration of U.S. President John F. Kennedy); in lowercase, it is a rare French loanword for a street peddler or newsboy.
Word Origin & Etymology
The Arthurian sense derives from Old French Camelot, first recorded in the 12th-century romance Lancelot by Chrétien de Troyes, possibly altered from Camulodunum, the Roman name for Colchester in Britain. The lowercase sense meaning 'street peddler' is borrowed from modern French camelot, derived from camelote ('cheap goods').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.