knight
a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.
(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.
any person of a rank similar to that of the medieval knight.
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.
a member of any order or association that designates its members as knights.
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.
Nautical.
a short vertical timber having on its head a sheave through which running rigging is rove.
any other fitting or erection bearing such a sheave.
to dub or make (a man) a knight.
Origin of knight
1Other words from knight
- knightless, adjective
- un·knight·ed, adjective
Words that may be confused with knight
- knight , night
Other definitions for Knight (2 of 2)
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. 2023
How to use knight in a sentence
Knighted by the Queen—honorary knighthood by the Queen, I should say.
Rudy Giuliani on His 9/11 Bluff, the Museum Controversy and the Rise of ISIS | Josh Robin | September 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOver the mantelpiece, that was Henry Irving, the 19th-century actor-manager who was the first English actor to be knighted.
"You don't necessarily need a superior's approval anymore, or to be "knighted" by the fashion industry," she adds.
She even knighted the boy, which seems like the best use of a royal honour we have ever heard of.
Helen Mirren Plays Part of Queen To Grant Boy's Dying Wish | Tom Sykes | May 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe first Jew to be knighted, he was also a close and trusted friend of Edward IV, as well as of Richard.
He was the most distinguished representative of the English school of composition, and was knighted in 1842.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellLittler later on was knighted, but is beyond all earthly honours now, and so are Pope, Pember and Blennerhassett.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowThe best lance in the South Country dismounted, then mastered by a boy scarce knighted?
God Wills It! | William Stearns DavisHe gained his favour, was made a gentleman of the privy chamber and one of the king's carvers, and was knighted in 1607.
When he returned again he was knighted and showered with honors by various scientific societies of England and France.
A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year | Edwin Emerson
British Dictionary definitions for knight (1 of 2)
/ (naɪt) /
(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
(tr) to make (a person) a knight; dub
Origin of knight
1British Dictionary definitions for Knight (2 of 2)
/ (naɪt) /
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
A mounted warrior in Europe in the Middle Ages. (See chivalry.)
Notes for knight
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.
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