ˈnītˌhu̇d noun
Etymology: Middle English knighthod, from knight + -hod -hood
1. : the rank, dignity, condition, profession, or vocation of a knight or of knights as a class
won a knighthood for his devotion to civic reform
knighthood was at one time both a social obligation and a symbol of maturity
2. : the character of a knight : qualities befitting a knight or knights as a class : knightliness , chivalry
3.
a. : knights as a class
the early knighthood held a place distinct from the great lords on the one hand and the working peasantry on the other
b. : a body of knights
the legendary knighthood of King Arthur