n.
Pronunciation: ˌ she-v ə - ' lir, esp for 1b & 2 also sh ə - ' val- ˌ y ā
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin caballarius horseman ― more at CAVALIER
Date: 14th century
1 a : CAVALIER 2 b : a member of any of various orders of knighthood or of merit (as the Legion of Honor)
2 a : a member of the lowest rank of French nobility b : a cadet of the French nobility
3 : a chivalrous man