destrier means A large warhorse, especially of a medieval knight. It carries an Arena rating of 1583, earned across 51 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, destrier ranks #344 of 13,220 for Most Elegant Words, #575 of 13,220 for Most Beautiful Words, #892 of 13,220 for Most Storied Words, #939 of 13,220 for Most Ingenious Words.
destrier is pronounced /ˈdɛstɹɪə/.
Why “destrier” is a great word
DESTRIER — [Noun] A large, powerful warhorse bred to carry an armored knight into close combat. From Anglo-Norman *destrer*, *destrier*, from Vulgar Latin *dextrarius (equus)* ("horse led by the right hand"), from Latin *dextra* ("right hand"). First attested in Middle English c. 1300. Unlike a "courser," bred for swift pursuit, or a "palfrey," a gentle mount for travel, the destrier was an instrument of shock and mass. One envisions the iron-shod tremor of its charge through mud, the explosive snort of breath in the cold air before the melee, and the immense, patient bulk standing like a bastion in the smoky aftermath—a creature of profound and terrible utility, bred for a world defined by the weight of its violence.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman destrer, destrier.
noun
- A large warhorse, especially of a medieval knight.“I am resolved to share or avert the danger; which, that I may the better do, I would crave of thee the use of some palfrey whose pace may be softer than that of my destrier.”
- A steed.
Words closest in meaning
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