A Knight Was Originally a Servant Boy
A knight is a mounted warrior or a modern honour. The Old English word meant a boy or servant, and it rose enormously in status.
A knight is a mounted warrior of the medieval nobility, or the holder of a modern British honour. The word climbed a long way: Old English *cniht* meant a boy or a servant, and it rose through the ranks as mounted service became prestigious. German *Knecht* kept the original meaning and still means a farmhand.
- A medieval mounted warrior. *A knight in armour.*
- A holder of a British honour. *He was made a knight.*
- A chess piece. *Move the knight.*
- Knighthood — the rank. *Awarded a knighthood.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | knight | A veteran knight. |
| Plural | knights | Two knights. |
| Verb | knight | Knighted in 2001. |
| Noun | knighthood | A knighthood. |
| Title | Sir | Sir John. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He was knighted for services to medicine.British honours.
- The knight moves in an L shape.Chess.
- German *Knecht* still means a farmhand.The original sense.
Knight facts
- Sir — the title used with a knight's first name
- Dame — the equivalent for women
- Accolade — the ceremony of dubbing, with a sword on the shoulder
- Chess knight — the only piece that jumps over others
- Silent K — once pronounced, lost in the seventeenth century
From Old English *cniht*, a boy or servant, related to German *Knecht*. The K was pronounced until the early modern period.
Why is the K silent?
It was pronounced in Old and Middle English. The KN cluster simplified in speech around the seventeenth century, but the spelling stayed.
How is a knight addressed?
As Sir followed by the first name, never the surname alone. A woman receiving the equivalent honour is Dame.