cavaler

Forms

cavaler m (plural cavaleri)^[1] Older and regional variants include cavaleariu, cavalariu, cavalir and, in Transylvania, gavaler.^[2][3] Tiktin records cavalir in a document of 1817 and cavallier in Șincai's chronicle.^[4]

Etymology

It is a borrowing of the 18th century, and the sources name several donors.^[2][5] For DER it is borrowed from Russian кавалер (kavaler), through which Romanian received Italian cavaliere and French cavalier, chevalier.^[5] MDA2 and Wiktionary also give Russian as the source, and DEX names Russian, Italian and French together.^[3][1][6] DELR lists Polish kawaler, Russian, French and also Modern Greek καβαλλιέρις (kavallieris) as the sources named by earlier dictionaries.^[2] Tiktin calls it an indirect loan of the Italian word.^[4] Some variants came by other routes: cavalier straight from Italian, cavalir from German Kavalier and the Transylvanian gavaler from Hungarian gavaller.^[2]

The Italian word is borrowed from Old Occitan cavalier, from Late Latin caballārius, a derivative of caballus (“horse”).^[2][7] The French word was in turn borrowed from Italian in the 15th century.^[7] DER also gives Aromanian căvăler and compares Bulgarian кавалер (kavaler).^[5][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR dates the first record to 1715.^[2] Tiktin's earliest record is from 1770, with the sense “knight”.^[4] The oldest senses that MDA2 marks as obsolete are “horseman” and “cavalry soldier”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word names a knight of the Western Middle Ages and a member of a military or religious order, and by extension the holder of the lowest grade of an order of chivalry or of a decoration: Tiktin cites cavaler al ordinului Coroana României “knight of the Order of the Crown of Romania”.^[4][6] Historians also use it for the Roman equestrian order.^[6][3]

From the knight it passed to a man of noble, generous behaviour, a gentleman, and to a man who escorts a lady in society or dances with her.^[3][9] In popular speech it means a young unmarried man, a bachelor, and cavaler de onoare is the young man who attends the bride and groom at a wedding.^[6][4] Cavaler de industrie “swindler” follows the French phrase.^[4][10]

Timeline

• 1710 – cavalerie “cavalry”.^[2]
• 1715 – cavaler, the first record.^[2]
• c. 1740 – cavalerie “the institution or order of knights”.^[2]
• 1770 – cavaler “knight”, Tiktin's first record.^[4]
• 1789 – cavalerist “cavalryman”.^[2]
• 1817 – the variant cavalir in a document.^[4]
• 1832 – the adjective cavaleresc “chivalrous”.^[2]
• 1857 – cavaleros “knightly, adventurous”.^[2]
• 1862 – the adverb cavalerește “chivalrously”.^[2]
• 1876–1881 – cavalerism “chivalrous behaviour”.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (historical) A member of the equestrian order of ancient Rome, below the senators.^[6]
2. A knight: in the Middle Ages, a noble title given by the king, at first for deeds of arms; a member of an order of chivalry, lay or religious.^[6][1]
3. The title of the holder of certain decorations in some countries, and a person bearing it.^[6]
4. (rare) A horseman, rider.^[6][3]
5. A generous, noble, self-denying man; a gentleman, obliging and polite (often used as an adjective).^[6]
6. A man who escorts a woman in society or partners her at a dance.^[3][11]
7. (popular) A young unmarried man, a bachelor;^[6] cavaler de onoare a groomsman.^[6]

Word family

• cavaleresc
• cavalerește
• cavalerie
• cavalerime
• cavalerism
• cavalerist
• cavaleros

Related words

• cal
• călare

Usage notes

Cavaler de industrie means a swindler, someone grown rich by speculation.^[10][12] Cavaler rătăcitor is a knight-errant.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2011–), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române (DELR), vol. I: A–B (2011), vol. II: C (2015–2018), București: Editura Academiei Române; continued online at delr.lingv.ro, p. s.v. cavaler
3. ^ a b c d e f g Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 314
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. cavalér
5. ^ a b c Ciorănescu, Alexandru (1958–1966), Diccionario etimológico rumano, La Laguna: Universidad de La Laguna (Romanian ed.: Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române, București: Saeculum, 2001), p. s.v. cavaler
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 154
7. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Georgiev, Vladimir I. et al. (eds.) (1971–), Bălgarski etimologičen rečnik, Sofija: Izdatelstvo na Bălgarskata akademija na naukite, p. 2, 121
9. ^ Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne
10. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. cavaler
11. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. cavaler
12. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 241