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cav·a·lier

(kăv′ə-lîr)

1. A gallant or chivalrous man, especially one serving as escort to a woman of high social position; a gentleman.

2. A mounted soldier; a knight.

3. Cavalier A supporter of Charles I of England in his struggles against Parliament. Also called Royalist.

adj.

1. Showing arrogant or offhand disregard; dismissive: a cavalier attitude toward the suffering of others.

2. Carefree and nonchalant; jaunty.

3. Cavalier Of or relating to a group of 17th-century English poets associated with the court of Charles I.

[Early Modern English, from Middle French, from Old Italian cavaliere, from Late Latin caballārius, from Latin caballus, horse; akin to Greek kaballēs, work horse, both Greek and Latin probably ultimately from an Iranian source (compare Khotanese kabä, horse, and Persian kaval, a slow, clumsy horse), from Old Iranian *kaba-, *kabala-, horse, akin to Late Latin cabō, gelding, and Old Church Slavonic kobyla, mare, and perhaps ultimately of Proto-Indo-European origin.]

cav′a·lierly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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