Where does “knight” come from?

Knight derives from Middle English knighten, from Old English cniht, from Proto-West Germanic kneht, originally meaning a young man or servant.

knight (English): A young servant or follower; a trained military...

Definitions

  1. A young servant or follower; a trained military...

Ancestry of “knight”, step by step

knight traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English knight

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishknightknight
2Old Englishcnihtboy; servant, attendant; male of high military...
3Proto-West Germanicknehtyouth, boy; servant, knight

via Middle English knyght

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishknyghtAlternative spelling of knight

via Middle English kniht

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishkniht—
Every word from Proto-West Germanic kneht →Every word from Old English cniht →Every word from Middle English knight →