bachelor-at-arms

9.9

A low-ranking knight allowed to carry only a small flag on a lance

noun

Archaic

: caballero

In the tournament, only a bachelor-at-arms was permitted to bear a pennon on his lance.

Examples

Medieval chronicles often list the achievements of each bachelor-at-arms alongside those of higher-ranking knights.
During the ceremony, he was dubbed a bachelor-at-arms, marking the beginning of his knighthood.
The young bachelor-at-arms trained diligently for his first battle.
Many bachelors-at-arms served under the king during the war.
During the ceremony, he was dubbed a bachelor-at-arms, marking the beginning of his knighthood.
In the tournament, only a bachelor-at-arms was permitted to bear a pennon on his lance.
Medieval chronicles often list the achievements of each bachelor-at-arms alongside those of higher-ranking knights.

Synonyms

knight

vsbachelor-at-arms

178 6.5

A man trained to fight on horseback in the Middle Ages or one given the title Sir by the monarch

is specifically the lowest rank entitled only to display a pennon

bachelor

vsbachelor-at-arms

Archaic

1 9.9

A low-ranking medieval knight allowed to show only a small flag

is the same meaning but written as a different compound form

knight bachelor

vsbachelor-at-arms

9.9

A man given the title Sir by the crown who is not in a knight order

is the same rank but notes entitlement to display only a pennon

Surface Forms

bachelor-at-arms singular

bachelor-at-arms plural

Morphology

bachelor-at-arms = bachelor + arms (opaque) = at + bachelor + arms

Although the components are literal words, the historical technical meaning 'a knight of the lowest order' is specialized and not predictable from 'bachelor' + 'arms' for an average learner.

Etymology

The word bachelor-at-arms comes from bachelor, which once meant a 'young man' or a trainee knight, and arms, meaning 'weapons'. So a bachelor-at-arms was a junior, lowest-order knight 'armed' and therefore allowed only a 'small flag' called a pennon as his sign.