cavalier Hear it!

cavalier definition

cava·lier (kav′ə lir)

noun

  1. an armed horseman; knight
  2. a gallant or courteous gentleman, esp. one serving as a lady's escort
  3. a partisan of Charles I of England in his struggles with Parliament (1641-49); Royalist

Etymology: Fr < It cavaliere < LL caballarius < L caballus, horse; akin to Gr kaballēs; prob. < native name in Asia Minor

adjective

    1. of the Cavaliers
    2. associated with the court of Charles I of England Cavalier poets
    1. free and easy
    2. casual or indifferent toward matters of some importance
    3. haughty; arrogant; supercilious

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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