Main Entry:

che·va·lier

Pronunciation:

\ˌshe-və-ˈlir, especially for 1b & 2 also shə-ˈval-ˌyā\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin caballarius horseman — more at cavalier

Date:

14th century

1 a: cavalier 2 b: a member of any of various orders of knighthood or of merit (as the Legion of Honor)2 a: a member of the lowest rank of French nobility b: a cadet of the French nobility3: a chivalrous man