Basic Details
Word: Chivalrous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Polite, kind and brave, especially in helping or protecting others; behaving the way an ideal knight was expected to.
Synonyms: gallant, courteous, noble
Antonyms: rude, discourteous
Word origin: Comes from Old French chevalerous, from chevalier, a knight on horseback; cheval is French for horse.
How to Spell Chivalrous
Syllables: chiv - al - rous
Tricky part: The ch is said sh because the word is French in origin, so students write shivalrous. The middle is al, and the ending is rous, not rus or rious.
Watch out for: shivalrous, chivelrous, chivalrus, chivalrious
Memory tip: Think of the French chef: ch sounds sh in chef and in chivalrous. Then split it as chiv + al + rous.
Usage Examples
Example 1: It was chivalrous of him to give his seat on the metro to the elderly woman.
Example 2: In the old ballads, the chivalrous knight always defends the weak.
Example 3: Opening the door for others is a small chivalrous act anyone can practise.
Fun Fact
Cavalry, the soldiers who fight on horseback, comes from the same Latin root as chivalrous: caballus, a horse.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Chivalrous comes from ___ and it means ___.
a) French/ polite, kind and brave, like the ideal knight of old
b) Latin/ easily frightened and unwilling to fight
c) German/ belonging to a tribe of horse riders
d) Greek/ fond of songs and poetry
Show answer
a) French/ polite, kind and brave, like the ideal knight of old. Chivalrous reached English from Old French chevalerous, from chevalier, a knight. The root goes back to Late Latin caballarius, a horseman, but English took the word from French.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) generous
b) treacherous
c) chivelrous
d) rigorous
Show answer
c) chivelrous. The middle of chivalrous is al, as in chivalry.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
chiv_ _rous
a) el
b) al
c) ul
d) il
Show answer
b) al. Chivalrous keeps the al of chivalry: chiv-al-rous.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its synonym:
1. chivalrous 2. candid 3. obstinate a. stubborn b. gallant c. frank
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. Chivalrous means gallant, candid means frank and obstinate means stubborn.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which action is chivalrous?
a) helping a stranger carry heavy bags up the stairs
b) pushing ahead in a queue
c) laughing at someone who fell
d) keeping the best seat for yourself
Show answer
a) helping a stranger carry heavy bags up the stairs
2. Chivalrous is the adjective from which noun?
a) chivalry
b) chivvy
c) chisel
d) civility
Show answer
a) chivalry
