chivalry means cavalry; horsemen armed for battle. It carries an Arena rating of 1784, earned across 52 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, chivalry ranks #241 of 42,762 for Qualifying, #671 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #700 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,077 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
chivalry is pronounced /ˈʃɪvəlɹi/.
Why “chivalry” is a great word
A code of conduct formalizing the ideals of the medieval knightly class, emphasizing martial honor, religious piety, courtly manners, and the duty to protect the vulnerable. From Middle English chivalrie, from Old French chevalerie (“knighthood, cavalry”), from chevaler (“knight, horseman”), from Medieval Latin caballarius (“horseman, knight”), from Latin caballus (“horse”). Unlike mere “courtesy,” which is general politeness, or “gallantry,” which is often a show of dashing bravery, chivalry was a comprehensive social and religious system binding violence to a higher purpose. It is the heavy destrier shifting in the dawn mist before a charge, the deliberate restraint of a sword-point at a fallen foe’s throat, and the quiet, daily choice to shield the voiceless—a beautiful, brittle architecture of ideals constructed atop the brute fact of the armored man on horseback, recognizing that strength exists to be restrained and that the powerful are only as worthy as their willingness to kneel before something larger than themselves.
Etymology
From Middle English chivalerie, a late 13th century loan from Old French chevalerie (“knighthood, chivalry, nobility, cavalry”) (11th century), the -erie (“-ery”) abstract of chevaler (“knight, horseman”), from Medieval Latin caballarius (“horseman, knight”), from caballus (“horse”). Medieval Latin caballaria (“knighthood, status or fief of a knight”) dates to the 12th century. Doublet of cavalry.
noun
- Cavalry; horsemen armed for battle.e.g.“‘Most of the lords who rode with Lord Renly to Storm's End have gone over banner-and-blade to Stannis, with all their chivalry.’” — 1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 529:
- The fact or condition of being a knight; knightly skill, prowess.
- The ethical code of the knight prevalent in Medieval Europe, having such primary virtues as mercy towards the poor and oppressed, humility, honour, sacrifice, fear of God, faithfulness, courage and courtesy to ladies.
- Courtesy, respect and honourable conduct, as between opponents in wartime.
- Courteous behaviour, especially that of men towards women.e.g.“The elevator doors close just as Luisa Rey reaches them, but the unseen occupant jams them with his cane. “Thank you,” says Luisa to the old man. “Glad the age of chivalry isn’t totally dead.”” — 2004, David Mitchell, “Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery”, in Cloud Atlas, →ISBN, page 91:
- A tenure of lands by knightly service.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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