knight

¹

[ nahyt ]

noun

1. a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.
2. (in Europe in the Middle Ages) a man, usually of noble birth, who after an apprenticeship as page and squire was raised to honorable military rank and bound to chivalrous conduct.
3. any person of a rank similar to that of the medieval knight.
4. a man upon whom the nonhereditary dignity of knighthood is conferred by a sovereign because of personal merit or for services rendered to the country. In Great Britain he holds the rank next below that of a baronet, and the title Sir is prefixed to the Christian name, as in Sir John Smith.
5. a member of any order or association that designates its members as knights.
6. Chess. a piece shaped like a horse's head, moved one square vertically and then two squares horizontally or one square horizontally and two squares vertically.
7. Nautical.
   1. a short vertical timber having on its head a sheave through which running rigging is rove.
   2. any other fitting or erection bearing such a sheave.

verb (used with object)

1. to dub or make (a man) a knight.

Knight

²

[ nahyt ]

noun

1. Eric, 1897–1943, U.S. novelist, born in England.
2. Frank Hy·ne·man [hahy, -n, uh, -m, uh, n], 1885–1972, U.S. economist.

Knight

¹

/ naɪt /

noun

1. KnightLaura18871970FBritishARTS AND CRAFTS: painter Dame Laura. 1887–1970, British painter, noted for her paintings of Gypsies, the ballet, and the circus

knight

²

/ naɪt /

noun

1. in medieval Europe
   1. (originally) a person who served his lord as a mounted and heavily armed soldier
   2. (later) a gentleman invested by a king or other lord with the military and social standing of this rank
2. (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
3. 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
4. a heroic champion of a lady or of a cause or principle
5. a member of the Roman class of the equites

verb

1. tr to make (a person) a knight; dub

knight

1. A mounted warrior in Europe in the Middle Ages . ( See chivalry .)

Notes

Over the centuries, knighthood gradually lost its military functions, but it has survived as a social distinction in Europe, especially in England .

Other Words From

• knightless adjective
• un·knighted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of knight¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English cniht boy, manservant; cognate with German, Dutch knecht servant

Word History and Origins

Origin of knight¹

Old English cniht servant; related to Old High German kneht boy

Example Sentences

Knight also noted the anti-LGBTQ crackdown across Indonesia.

From Washington Blade

Knight and his wife gave more than $900 million to the Knight Foundation and $300 million to the University of Oregon.

From Fortune

Knight, a tall, imposing figure with penetrating blue eyes, was sent back into the army only to desert again, making his way home on foot.

From Ozy

“I don’t think they’re really feeling it right now,” Knight said.

From Washington Post

Instead, Knight’s team had planned to use other materials that can generate current from the swaying of trees.

From Science News For Students

So she lies to the knight, telling him Madalena is sorry and wants him back.

From The Daily Beast

The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.

From The Daily Beast

Knight and Farrell were both fired from the New Orleans Police Department before they gravitated to Duke.

From The Daily Beast

Scalise was a state representative old enough to remember the notoriety of Farrell and Knight from years before.

From The Daily Beast

“Poor Steve Scalise is getting a bad rap,” Knight, a long-time aide to former KKK leader David Duke, told The Daily Beast.

From The Daily Beast

The worthy knight not being now alive to veto the project, a figure of him has been placed opposite the College in Edmund Street.

From Project Gutenberg

That brave knight was my great, great grandfather, and he has often sat in this very chair in which I am sitting now.

From Project Gutenberg

The handsome person and gallant bearing of the youthful knight excited general sympathy and regret.

From Project Gutenberg

But to a Knight of Industry, as he knew the Count to be, a certain thousand pounds would be a great temptation.

From Project Gutenberg

According to Froissart, he was 'esteemed the bravest and most enterprising knight in the two kingdoms.'

From Project Gutenberg