Order of the Thistle

British

noun

Also called: the Thistle. an ancient Scottish order of knighthood revived by James VII of Scotland in 1687. It consists of the sovereign, 16 knights brethren, and extra members created by statute. It is the equivalent of the Order of the Garter, and is usually conferred on Scots

"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

Example Sentences

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King Charles has awarded his brother the Duke of Edinburgh the Order of the Thistle - Scotland's highest royal honour.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2024

St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, which hosts the Order of the Thistle service, says the honour is "traditionally given to Scots or people of Scots ancestry".

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2023

In Scotland there is the Order of the Thistle, instituted in 1687, with the most recent appointment made in 2018.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2021

King George in the dress uniform of Admiral of the Fleet, with the green ribbon of the Order of the Thistle, stepped out followed by Queen Elizabeth in forget-me-not blue, his two excited little daughters.

From Time Magazine Archive

In April, 1697, Lord Mar was chosen a privy councillor; and shortly afterwards invested with the Order of the Thistle; and the command of a company of foot bestowed upon him.

From Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745. Volume I. by Thomson, Mrs.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023