Chevalier

Chevalier: In the old days, a chevalier was a knight. This definition is now considered obsolete. Instead, a chevalier is now a gallant, or chivalrous man. A chevalier can also be someone who keeps their word. You can see the root meaning if you look closely. After...

Cavalry

Cavalry: Once upon a time, soldiers who fought on horseback.  These days, soldiers who fight from armored vehicles. Cavalry made its way into the English language from French.  The French word cavalerie likely came from Italian cavalleria.  Naturally, cavalleria...

Cavalier

Cavalier Well, this word is tricky.  Better to begin with the etymology.  Cavalier comes from the Latin word caballarius, meaning, a horseman.  Caballarius derives from the Latin word for horse, caballus.  Caballus is the common, Vulgar Latin word for horse.  It...

Hippogriff

Hippogriff: A fabulous animal or monster, half horse and half griffon. I have to be honest.  I question their existence.  In the Harry Potter series, Buckbeak is a hippogriff. The U.S. Air Force, 50th Space Wing uses a hippogriff as their symbol.  The word comes from...

Hippotigris

Hippotigris: the zebra. Well, basically, the hippotigris is the Zebra.  Hippotigris is a subgenus of the Equidae family.  While the family also contains some asses (doesn’t every family?), the most famous member of the Hippotigris family is the Zebra. In my research...