[shiv-uh
l-ree] 
| 1. | the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight, including courtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms. |
| 2. | the rules and customs of medieval knighthood. |
| 3. | the medieval system or institution of knighthood. |
| 4. | a group of knights. |
| 5. | gallant warriors or gentlemen: fair ladies and noble chivalry. |
| 6. | Archaic. a chivalrous act; gallant deed. |
| chiv·al·ry (shĭv'əl-rē) n. pl. chiv·al·ries
[Middle English chivalrie, from Old French chevalerie, from chevalier, knight; see chevalier.] Word History: The Age of Chivalry was also the age of the horse. Bedecked in elaborate armor and other trappings, horses were certainly well dressed, although they might have wished for lighter loads. That the horse should be featured so prominently during the Age of Chivalry is etymologically appropriate, because chivalry goes back to the Latin word caballus, "horse, especially a riding horse or packhorse." Borrowed from French, as were so many other important words having to do with medieval English culture, the English word chivalry is first recorded in works composed around the beginning of the 14th century and is found in several senses, including "a body of armored mounted warriors serving a lord" and "knighthood as a ceremonially conferred rank in the social system." Our modern sense, "the medieval system of knighthood," could not exist until the passage of several centuries had allowed the perspective for such a conceptualization, with this sense being recorded first in 1765. |
The methods of training and standards of behavior for knights in the Middle Ages. The code of chivalry emphasized bravery, military skill, generosity in victory, piety, and courtesy to women. (Compare courtly love.)
