knight
[ nahyt ]
/ naɪt /
noun
verb (used with object)
to dub or make (a man) a knight.
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Origin of knight
before 900; Middle English; Old English cniht boy, manservant; cognate with German, Dutch knecht servant
OTHER WORDS FROM knight
knightless, adjectiveun·knight·ed, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH knight
knight , nightWords nearby knight
Definition for knight (2 of 2)
Knight
[ nahyt ]
/ naɪt /
noun
Eric, 1897–1943, U.S. novelist, born in England.
Frank Hy·ne·man [hahy-nuh-muhn], /ˈhaɪ nə mən/, 1885–1972, U.S. economist.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for knight
British Dictionary definitions for knight (1 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
British Dictionary definitions for knight (2 of 2)
Knight
/ (naɪt) /
noun
Dame Laura. 1887–1970, British painter, noted for her paintings of Gypsies, the ballet, and the circus
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
Cultural definitions for knight
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.