[che.va.lier] n [ME, fr. MF, fr. LL caballarius horseman--more at cavalier] (14c) 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