Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cavalier” come from?

Cavalier comes from Portuguese cavaleiro, from Old Portuguese cavaleiro, from Late Latin caballarius, from Latin caballus, from Gaulish caballos.

cavalier (English): Not caring enough about something important;...

Definitions

  1. Not caring enough about something important;...

Ancestry of “cavalier”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Portuguesecavaleiroknight; cavalryman; cavalier; horseman;...
2Old Portuguesecavaleiroknight; a noble ranked below an "infançon" and...
3Late Latincaballariushorseman
4Latincaballushorse; nag; pack-horse, jade, hack
5Proto-Celtickaballoshorse

Words derived from “cavalier”

  • cavalierly
  • cavalierism
  • cavalierness
  • uncavalier
  • cavalierish
  • cavalero
Every word from Proto-Celtic kaballos →