Knight of the Round Table
4
9.1
- noun
- Literature
:
Caballero de la Mesa Redonda
- King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Examples
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They were known as the Knights of the Round Table.
Fiction book (2000) -
From this day forward... ...you will both sit as Knights of the Round Table.
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What are you, a knight of the Round Table?
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One of the Knights of the Round Table?
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My dad gave me a book once, years ago... about the Knights of the Round Table.
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Every Christmas, the Knights of the Round Table came together.
Fiction book (2000) -
Just like King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table!
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As Knights of the Round Table, our obligation is to the people... ...not to ourselves.
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Sir Sagramour, a Knight of the Round Table
Fiction book (1998) -
Sir Lancelot is one of the most famous Knights of the Round Table known for his bravery.
Synonyms
178
6.5
A man trained to fight on horseback in the Middle Ages or one given the title Sir by the monarch
Surface Forms
Morphology
knight + of + the + round + Table
The phrase is compositionally clear: a learner who knows 'knight', 'round' and 'table' can infer it denotes a knight associated with a particular round table (i.e., a member of that group). However, the culturally specific sense — membership in King Arthur's legendary order with connotations of chivalry and heroic deeds — goes beyond simple lexical composition and requires background knowledge, so the meaning is only partially predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Knight of the Round Table comes from the stories of King Arthur, who put a round table in his hall so no one sat at the head and every knight was equal. One popular story says each knight promised to be 'brave and fair' and to help others, so today the phrase means a knight known for 'bravery' and doing good deeds.