Kavalier

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian cavalier, from Old French chevalier, from Late Latin caballārius (“horse rider”). Early loans into Middle High German, as cavali(e)r, are recorded for the 14th century, but remained without direct continuants. Renewed loan in the later 16th century, as Caval(l)ier, Cavaglier, Cavalierer , at the time with Italian plural Cavalieri, but in the 17th century replaced with the French plural Cavaliers. The word rises in popularity during the 17th century and becomes the equivalent of "gentleman", the term for the ideal of the educated, well-mannered member of the upper classes. The word is productive in compounds during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kavaˈliːɐ̯/ (standard)
• IPA^(key): /ˈkavaˌliːɐ̯/ (variant, chiefly in the dated colloquial sense)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːɐ̯

Noun

Kavalier m (strong, genitive Kavaliers, plural Kavaliere)

1. (slightly dated) gentleman
2. (dated, colloquial) boyfriend; sweetheart of a girl

Usage notes

• Nowadays the more common, more general, and more positive word is Gentleman. Kavalier has become restricted to polite behaviour towards women and may have an overtone of flattery or ingratiation, rather than tact and grace.

Declension

Declension of Kavalier [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Kavalier	die	Kavaliere
genitive	eines	des	Kavaliers	der	Kavaliere
dative	einem	dem	Kavalier	den	Kavalieren
accusative	einen	den	Kavalier	die	Kavaliere

Synonyms

• Gentleman
• Ritter

Derived terms

• Kavaliersdelikt
• Kavaliersschmerzen

References

• Wolfgang Pfeifer (ed.), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, Akademie-Verlag, 2nd edition 1993
• “Kavalier” in Duden online