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First published 1901; not yet revised

knight-servicenoun

What does the noun knight-service mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun knight-service. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

knight-service has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

medieval history (Middle English) medieval law (Middle English) military (Middle English)

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

See meaning & use

How common is the noun knight-service?

About 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English
See frequency

How is the noun knight-service pronounced?

British English

/ˈnʌɪtˌsəːvɪs/
NIGHT-sur-viss

U.S. English

/ˈnaɪtˌsərvəs/
NIGHT-suhr-vuhss
See pronunciation

Where does the noun knight-service come from?

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun knight-service is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for knight-service is from 1439, in Rolls of Parliament.

knight-service is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: knight n., service n.1

See etymology

Nearby entries

  1. knightlihood, n.1390–1890
  2. knightlike, adj. & adv.c1425–
  3. knightliness, n.1596–1900
  4. knightling, n.1640–
  5. knightly, adj.Old English–
  6. knightly, adv.c1385–
  7. knight marshal, n.1556–
  8. knight-money, n.1643
  9. knight of the post, n.1580–
  10. knight's cross, n.1760–
  11. knight-service, n.1439–
  12. knight's fee, n.1387–
  13. knightship, n.a1175–
  14. knight's milfoil, n.1578
  15. knight's pondwort, n.1578
  16. knight's star, n.1855–
  17. knight's water-sengreen, n.1578
  18. knightte, n.c1380
  19. Knight Templar, n.1577–
  20. Knight Templardom, n.1865–
  21. Knight Templarism, n.1856–
Browse more nearby entries