Word of the Day

: November 15, 2010

paladin

noun PAL-uh-din

What It Means

1 : a trusted military leader (as for a medieval prince)

2 : a leading champion of a cause

paladin in Context

No one was surprised when the famously outspoken animal-rights paladin chose to make an impromptu speech on the subject.

"The poor children of Panama are lucky in that Lehman, acting as a paladin in their cause, possesses the time, skill, and financial resources to mobilize enough public pressure to fight the corruption polluting the case; most do not have these advantages." -- From a States News Service article, July 12, 2010

Did You Know?

In ancient Rome, the emperor's palace was located on the Palatine Hill, known as "Palatium" in Latin. Since the site was the seat of imperial power, the word "palatium" came to mean "imperial" and later "imperial official." Different forms of the word passed through Latin, Italian, and French, picking up various meanings along the way, until eventually some of those forms made their way into English. "Paladin" is one of the etymological heirs of "palatium"; another descendant is the word "palace."