Percival
Americannoun
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Arthurian Legend. Also Percivale a knight of King Arthur's court who sought the Holy Grail: comparable to Parzival or Parsifal in Teutonic legend.
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a male given name.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Percival
From Old French Perceval, of disputed origin; perhaps literally “pierce the valley” ( see pierce ( def. ), vale ( def. )) or “through this valley” (from par “through” + cel “this” + val “valley”; see per ( def. )); alternatively, an alteration of Welsh Peredur
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Tuesday its students disrupted, heckled and tried to shout down a speech by Homeland Security general counsel James Percival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Garner, 31, looked down as Percival read a statement, in which she said he had denied her grandfather a "dignified death".
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
Mr. Percival is general counsel for the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
Nice as Troy Percival working for Long Beach’s independent Pioneer League team all sounds, it is curious that a four-time All-Star with coaching experience is not working for the Angels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2025
“Oh yes, she’s been there forever! The Dumbledores moved there after Percival was imprisoned, and she was their neighbor.”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
