Knight of St John of Jerusalem
(gcide) | Knight \Knight\, n. [OE. knight, cniht, knight, soldier, AS.
cniht, cneoht, a boy, youth, attendant, military follower;
akin to D. & G. knecht servant; perh. akin to E. kin.]
1. A young servant or follower; a military attendant. [Obs.]
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2.
(a) In feudal times, a man-at-arms serving on horseback
and admitted to a certain military rank with special
ceremonies, including an oath to protect the
distressed, maintain the right, and live a stainless
life.
(b) One on whom knighthood, a dignity next below that of
baronet, is conferred by the sovereign, entitling him
to be addressed as Sir; as, Sir John. [Eng.] Hence:
(c) A champion; a partisan; a lover. "Give this ring to my
true knight." Shak "In all your quarrels will I be
your knight." --Tennyson.
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Knights, by their oaths, should right poor
ladies' harms. --Shak.
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Note: Formerly, when a knight's name was not known, it was
customary to address him as Sir Knight. The rank of a
knight is not hereditary.
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3. A piece used in the game of chess, usually bearing a
horse's head.
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4. A playing card bearing the figure of a knight; the knave
or jack. [Obs.]
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Carpet knight. See under Carpet.
Knight of industry. See Chevalier d'industrie, under
Chevalier.
Knight of Malta, Knight of Rhodes, {Knight of St. John of
Jerusalem}. See Hospitaler.
Knight of the post, one who gained his living by giving
false evidence on trials, or false bail; hence, a sharper
in general. --Nares. "A knight of the post, . . . quoth
he, for so I am termed; a fellow that will swear you
anything for twelve pence." --Nash.
Knight of the shire, in England, one of the representatives
of a county in Parliament, in distinction from the
representatives of cities and boroughs.
Knights commanders, Knights grand cross, different
classes of the Order of the Bath. See under Bath, and
Companion.
Knights of labor, a secret organization whose professed
purpose is to secure and maintain the rights of workingmen
as respects their relations to their employers. [U. S.]
Knights of Pythias, a secret order, founded in Washington,
D. C., in 1864, for social and charitable purposes.
Knights of the Round Table, knights belonging to an order
which, according to the legendary accounts, was instituted
by the mythical King Arthur. They derived their common
title from the table around which they sat on certain
solemn days. --Brande & C.
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