Meaning & use
chevalier
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Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
A member of a French order of merit or chivalry, or a title given to such a person.
Grammar: Used as a title before a name: Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Patterns
- a chevalier of something
The scientist was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
The film follows a chevalier who served at the royal court.
A chevalier at the dinner wore a medal on his coat.
nouncountableliteraryhumorous
A man who is courteous, gallant and gentlemanly, especially toward women.
Grammar: A literary or humorous term for a gallant man.
Patterns
- a chevalier to someone
He played the chevalier and carried her heavy bags up the stairs.
The old chevalier insisted on opening every door.
She called him her chevalier after he fixed her bicycle.
Word forms
| plural | chevaliers |
|---|
Common combinations
- chevalier of the Legion of Honor
- He was named a chevalier of the Legion of Honor for his service.
- a gallant chevalier
- The gallant chevalier bowed to the queen.
- a French chevalier
- A French chevalier appears in the novel as the hero's rival.
- play the chevalier
- He likes to play the chevalier at formal dinners.
- a chevalier's sword
- The museum displays a chevalier's sword from the eighteenth century.
Synonyms and how they differ
- knight
- Knight is the usual English word for a medieval warrior of rank, and chevalier is the French equivalent with an old-world flavor.
- gentleman
- Gentleman refers to a polite and honorable man in general, while chevalier suggests gallantry and old-world courtesy.
- gallant
- Gallant is an adjective or noun for a brave, courteous man, but it lacks the title sense of chevalier.
Opposites
Word family
- chivalry noun
- the code of honor and courtesy of medieval knights
- chivalrous adjective
- polite and honorable, especially toward women
- cavalry noun
- soldiers who fight on horseback
- cavalier noun
- a gallant man, or a horseman soldier
Commonly confused: chevalier or cavalier?
chevalier vs cavalier
Cavalier can be a noun meaning a horse soldier or an adjective meaning carelessly casual, and these differ from the titled sense of chevalier.
Practice
In a historical novel, 'the chevalier bowed' most likely refers to ___.
Choose one answer.
Chevalier names a French knight or titled gentleman. The other roles do not suit the French and chivalrous associations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chevalier”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.