cavalier

Meaning

Adj

1. Lacking the proper care or concern for something important, reckless, rash, high-handed.
2. High-spirited.
3. Supercilious.
4. (obsolete) Free and easy; unconcerned with formalities
5. (historical) Of or pertaining to the party of King Charles I of England (1600–1649).

Noun

1. (historical) A military man serving on horse, (chiefly) early modern cavalry officers who had abandoned the heavy armor of medieval knights.
2. (historical) A gallant: a sprightly young dashing military man.
3. A gentleman of the class of such officers, particularly
4. (historical) A gentleman of the class of such officers
5. (slang) Someone with an uncircumcised penis.
6. A defensive work rising from a bastion, etc., and overlooking the surrounding area.

Verb

Of a man: to act in a gallant and dashing manner toward (women).

Opposite of

stiff, Roundhead, roundhead

Synonyms

horseman

knight

indifferent

chevalier

trooper

high-handed

equestrian

champion

offhand

gallant

haughty

paladin

hero

🦸‍♂️

rider

casual

insensitive

negligent

nonchalant

orgulous

partner

reckless

ritter

slaphappy

sniffy

squire

stout

supercilious

thane

unceremonious

unconcerned

undeterred

undiscouraged

unheeding

unresponsive

unsurprised

warrior

degage

haught

thegn

drawn by horses

horse-tamer

relating to a horse

not surprised

arrogant

sneery

blind

breezy

caballero

careless

courteous

Translations

chevalier

caballero

cavalier

cavaliere

ridder

Kavalier

🤵‍♂️

ιππότης

altezzoso

cavalcatore

hochmütig

sdegnoso

şövalye

orgueilleux

cavaller

Reiter

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌkævəˈlɪɚ/

Etymology

Cognate with Church Slavic: кобꙑла

In summary

First appears c. 1562 in a translation by Peter Whitehorne. Borrowed from Middle French cavalier (“horseman”), itself borrowed from Old Italian cavaliere (“mounted soldier, knight”), borrowed from Old Occitan cavalier, from Late Latin caballārius (“horseman”), from Latin caballus (“horse”), probably from Gaulish caballos 'nag', variant of cabillos (compare Welsh ceffyl, Breton kefel, Irish capall), akin to German (Swabish) Kōb 'nag' and Old Church Slavonic кобꙑла (kobyla) 'mare'. Previous English forms include cavalero and cavaliero. Doublet of caballero and chevalier.