Where does “chivalry” come from?
Chivalry derives from Middle English chivalrie, from Old French chevalerie, formed with the Old French suffix -erie (from Latin -arius) added to Old French cheval, from Latin caballus, ultimately from Gaulish caballos meaning horse.
chivalry (English): Cavalry; horsemen armed for battle; The fact or...
Definitions
- Cavalry; horsemen armed for battle; The fact or...
Ancestry of “chivalry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | chivalerie | A retinue of knights or mounted soldiers |
| 2 | Old French | chevalerie | chivalry |
| 3 | Old French | -erie | used to form feminine nouns |
| 4 | Old French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 5 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 6 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |