knight
knight Lexical Profile
knight Game Scores & Validity
• noun
In the Middle Ages, a man of noble birth or high social rank trained to fight in armor on horseback and pledged to uphold a code of chivalry in service to a sovereign or feudal lord.
"The museum's medieval gallery displays a full suit of steel plate armor once worn by a fifteenth-century knight."
British A man awarded a non-hereditary dignity by a British monarch in recognition of personal merit or public service, entitling him to use the prefix "Sir" before his given name.
"The celebrated stage actor was made a knight for his lifelong contributions to the performing arts."
A chess piece, typically shaped like a horse's head, that moves in an L-shaped pattern of two squares in one direction and one square perpendicular to it, and is capable of jumping over other pieces.
"She repositioned her knight to the center of the board, threatening both her opponent's queen and rook at once."
• verb
To confer the rank and title of a knight upon someone, ceremonially performed by a monarch touching the recipient's shoulders with the flat of a sword.
"The Queen knighted the pioneering scientist during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse with its homophone "night" (the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise); "knight" begins with a silent 'k' and refers to a medieval warrior, a British title of honor, or a chess piece.
• Rhymes for knight
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English cniht, meaning "boy," "youth," or "attendant," of West Germanic origin (related to German Knecht, "servant"). During the Norman Conquest and the rise of feudalism, the term shifted in status to denote a noble military follower serving the king on horseback.