Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

chivalry

/ˈʃɪvəlɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.08 in modern English

Syllables
chival-ry
IPA
/ˈʃɪvəlɹi/
19
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Cavalry; horsemen armed for battle.

Archaic; Uncountable

noun

The fact or condition of being a knight; knightly skill, prowess.

Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

Courtesy, respect and honourable conduct, as between opponents in wartime.

Uncountable

noun

Courteous behaviour, especially that of men towards women.

Uncountable

noun

A tenure of lands by knightly service.

British usage; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English chivalerie, a late 13th century loan from Old French chevalerie (“knighthood, chivalry, nobility, cavalry”) (11th century), the -erie (“-ery”) abstract of chevaler (“knight, horseman”), from Medieval Latin caballarius (“horseman, knight”), from caballus (“horse”). Medieval Latin caballaria (“knighthood, status or fief of a knight”) dates to the 12th century. Doublet of cavalry.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: chivalerie, chevalerie, caballarius, caballaria

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce chivalry?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʃɪvəlɹi/.
What does chivalry mean?
Cavalry; horsemen armed for battle.
Where does chivalry come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce chivalry

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “chivalry”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈʃɪvəlɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “chivalry”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “chivalry” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.