Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “cavalerie” come from?

cavalerie (Middle French) comes from Italian cavalleria, from Italian cavaliere, from Old Occitan cavalier, from Late Latin caballarius, from Latin caballus, from Proto-Celtic kaballos — horse.

Ancestry of “cavalerie”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiancavalleriacavalry; chivalry; gallantry
2Italiancavaliererider or horseman; cavalryman or trooper; an...
3Old Occitancavalier—
4Late Latincaballariushorseman
5Latincaballushorse; nag; pack-horse, jade, hack
6Proto-Celtickaballoshorse

Words derived from “cavalerie”

  • cavalry
  • cavalryman
  • cavalrywoman
Every word from Proto-Celtic kaballos →