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Glite Dictionary
knight's service

knight's service

9.9
A way of holding land by fighting as a knight for a lord
  • noun
  • /naɪts ˈsɜrvɪs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : servicio de caballero
  • During the Middle Ages, many estates in England were held by knight's service.

Examples

  • The decline of knight's service marked a shift in the English feudal system.

  • As a form of knight's service, the tenant was obligated to join his lord in battle.

  • The lord demanded knight's service from his vassals.

  • In return for the land, he owed knight's service to the king.

  • The lord granted the land in exchange for a knight's service to defend the kingdom.

  • As part of his knight's service, he was required to provide military aid during the battles.

  • In medieval times, many nobles relied on knight's service to ensure the protection of their estates.

Synonyms

service
vsknight's service
  • Archaic
5 9.9

Work a tenant had to do for a landowner under feudal rule

is used when land is held in return for fighting as a mounted warrior
military service
vsknight's service
  • Archaic
2 8.9

Land given to someone in return for serving in a lord's army

is the specific form requiring fighting as a mounted warrior for a lord

Surface Forms

knight's service singular
knights' services plural

Morphology

knight's + service

A B1 learner who knows 'knight' and 'service' can plausibly infer the general idea of 'service provided by a knight', so the components give a clear partial cue. However, the full lexicalized meaning refers to a specific feudal land‑tenure obligation (legal/historical concept) that is specialized and not directly derivable from the constituents alone, making the expression only partially transparent to learners.

Etymology

Knight's service comes from the Middle Ages when a lord gave land to a man who promised to fight as a knight for him. So, the phrase means 'land held in return for fighting for a lord'.