destrier

[ des-tree-er, de-streer ]

/ ˈdɛs tri ər, dɛˈstrɪər /

Save This Word!

noun Archaic.

a warhorse; charger.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of destrier

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English destrer, from Anglo-French, variant of Old French destrier, literally, “(horse) led at the right hand,” from unrecorded Vulgar Latin dextrārius (equus), equivalent to Latin dext(e)r “right-hand” (see dexter) + -ārius -ary

Words nearby destrier

destitute, destitution, destock, destool, de-stress, destrier, destroy, destroyer, destroyer escort, destroying angel, destruct

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use destrier in a sentence

They had even ripped up his destrier, so that presently he had to mount another.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
He caught the destrier by the bridle, and led him before the stricken man.
French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France|Marie de France
A steed led by the squire in dester was the destrier or dextrarius, or war-horse.
A Dictionary of the First or Oldest Words in the English Language|Herbert Coleridge
Valery brought Simon's favorite war-horse, the pearl-gray destrier called Brillant.
The Saracen: The Holy War|Robert Shea

It would have been a pleasant one had not Heriot and Destrier pretended all sorts of things about our previous acquaintance.
The Adventures of Harry Richmond, Complete|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for destrier

destrier

/ (ˈdɛstrɪə) /

noun

an archaic word for warhorse (def. 1)

Word Origin for destrier

C13: from Old French, from destre right hand, from Latin dextra; from the fact that a squire led a knight's horse with his right hand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012