cavalry English · revision 39539

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1546|origins=la caballus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈkæ.vəl.ɹi/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|frm|cavallerie]],^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002)^(Hoad 1986) from [[it|cavalleria|t=mounted militia, horsemanship, knighthood]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) formed on [[m|it|cavaliere|t=horseman, knight]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) or directly on [[m|it|cavallo|t=horse]].^(SOED 2002)^(ODE 2010) The Italian word goes back to [[la-lat|caballārius|t=horseman]], from [[la|caballus|t=horse, nag]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 2026) Klein calls ''caballus'' probably a loanword from a language of Asia Minor or the Balkans and compares [[grc|καβάλλης|tr=kabállēs|t=horse]] and [[cu|кобыла|tr=kobyla|t=mare]].^(Klein 1966)^(Barnhart 1988) The native French form of the same word was [[m|fro|chevalerie]], the source of [[chivalry]].^(OED 2026)^(Hoad 1986) The word for a mounted army before the Norman Conquest was [[ang|horshere]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Barnhart and Merriam-Webster date the word, spelled ''cavallery'', to 1546.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) The OED's first examples are from 1591: a body of mounted soldiers, in Garrard and Hitchcock's ''Arte of Warre'', and horsemanship, in Harington's ''Orlando Furioso''.^(OED 2026) Etymonline dates it to the 1590s.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Until the mid 17th century the word could also mean horsemanship or knighthood, much like [[chivalry]];^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)^(Weekley 1921) Weekley notes that it was often used for chivalry in the 16th century.^(Weekley 1921) The OED explains the shift of stress: Massinger (1632) stressed the second syllable, but spellings point to stress on the first, which produced the shortened ''cavalry'' in the middle of the 17th century.^(OED 2026) Johnson (1755) defined it as horse troops.^(Johnson 1755) From the late 17th century it could mean horses or riders in general (a1695).^(OED 2026) When armies gave up horses, the name passed to the armoured or motorized units that took their role.^(Collins 2023)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1546 – ''cavallery'', in Barnhart and Merriam-Webster.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1591 – mounted soldiers as part of an army.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1591–1670 – horsemanship (obsolete).^(OED 2026)

+ * 1601–1652 – knighthood, an order of chivalry (obsolete).^(OED 2026)

+ * mid 17th century – the shortened form ''cavalry''.^(OED 2026)

+ * a1695 – horses or riders in general.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # (especially formerly) [[soldier|alt=Soldiers]] who fight on horseback; the part of an [[army]] made up of mounted troops.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # The [[armour|alt=armoured]] or motorized units of a modern army.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # (obsolete) [[horsemanship|alt=Horsemanship]]; knighthood.^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[cavalryman]]

+ * [[air cavalry]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cavalier]]

+ * [[chivalry]]

+ * [[cavalcade]]

+ * [[Calvary]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Dictionary.com lists ''cavalry'' together with ''Calvary'', the hill of the crucifixion, as words that are easily confused.^(Dictionary.com 2016) A pronunciation with the ''l'' before the ''v'' (/ˈkæl.və.ri/) is heard but is labelled nonstandard.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}