[cav.a.lier] n [MF, fr. OIt cavaliere, fr. OProv cavalier, fr. LL caballarius horseman, fr. L caballus] (1589) 1: a gentleman trained in arms and horsemanship
2: a mounted soldier: knight 3 cap: an adherent of Charles I of England
4: gallant
[2]cavalier adj (ca. 1641) 1: debonair
2: marked by or given to offhand and often disdainful dismissal of important matters 3 a cap: of or relating to the party of Charles I of England in his struggles with the Puritans and Parliament b: aristocratic c cap: of or relating to the English Cavalier poets of the mid-17th century -- ca.va.lier.ism n -- cav.a.lier.ly adv