English
knight
Knight comes from Old English cniht ‘boy’, and goes back to Proto-West Germanic *kneht ‘servant, knight’.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kneht‘servant, knight’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cniht‘boy’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knight
- Englishearliest quotation 1980same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kneht‘servant, knight’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cniht‘boy’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knight
- Englishearliest quotation 1980same form
Earliest quotation: 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd: “There are two tombs, each bearing effigies of a…”
Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *kneht
Another origin of knight
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knighten
- Englishtodayknight
Today it means
noun A young servant or follower; a trained military attendant in service of a lord.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *kneht / knight