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(), n.[OE. knight, cniht, knight, soldier, As. cniht, cneoht, a boy, youth, attendant, military follower; akin to D. & G. knecht servant; perh. akin to E. kin.] 1. A young servant or follower; a military attendant. [Obs.] 2. (a) In feudal times, a man-at-arms serving on horseback and admitted to a certain military rank with special ceremonies, including an oath to protect the distressed, maintain the right, and live a stainless life. (b) One on whom knighthood, a dignity next below that of baronet, is conferred by the sovereign, entitling him to be addressed as Sir; as, Sir John. [Eng.] Hence: (c) A champion; a partisan; a lover. "Give this ring to my true knight." Shak "In all your quarrels will I be your knight." Tennyson. Knights, by their oaths, should right poor ladies' harms. Shak. Formerly, when a knight's name was not known, it was customary to address him as Sir Knight. The rank of a knight is not hereditary. 3. A piece used in the game of chess, usually bearing a horse's head. 4. A Knight v. t.[imp. & p. p.Knighted; p. pr. & vb. n.Knighting.] To dub or create (one) a knight; -- done in England by the sovereign only, who taps the kneeling candidate with a sword, saying: Rise, Sir ---. A soldier, by the honor-giving hand Of Cur-de-Lion knighted in the field. Shak. スポンサード リンク
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