cavalry

noun

cav·al·ry ˈka-vəl-rē

nonstandard

ˈkal-və-rē

plural cavalries

: an army component mounted on horseback

: an army component moving in motor vehicles or helicopters and assigned to combat missions that require great mobility

: horsemen

a thousand cavalry in flight

Example Sentences

Cavalry is used to perform reconnaissance. The cavalry were brought in to support the mission.

Recent Examples on the Web Nicole Grinnan, the organization's interim executive director, said Sacco had reached out to the archeology network inquiring about the sword, which Grinnan believes is a heavy cavalry sword circa the 1840s. —

Mollye Barrows, USA TODAY, 30 June 2023 His great-great grandfather, William Alexander McCain, owned a plantation and died during the Civil War as a soldier in the Mississippi cavalry. —

Allie Feinberg, The Arizona Republic, 28 June 2023 Finding reenactors to portray Civil War cavalry and bring their horses to an event for a mock battle is a challenge. —

Baltimore Sun, 23 June 2023 The land About 60 miles east of Phoenix, the old mining town of Superior sits near the foot of an ancient rock outcropping called Apache Leap, where legend holds that a band of warriors once jumped to their deaths rather than be captured by U.S. cavalry. —

Kevin Rector, Anchorage Daily News, 19 June 2023 The King, 74, honored the cavalry regiment in his speech, explaining that the New Standard represents the bond between the Blues and Royals, some of whom also serve in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. —

Daniel S. Levine, Peoplemag, 15 June 2023 Bridges, of Stow, Ohio, was assigned to the Third Infantry Division in Fort Stewart as a cavalry scout at the time of the crime, the Justice Department said. —

Louis Casiano, Fox News, 15 June 2023 Bridges joined the Army in about September 2019, assigned as a cavalry scout in Georgia, federal prosecutors said. —

Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 14 June 2023 Carousels trace their beginnings to 12th Century jousting and cavalry training in Asia and Europe. —

WSJ, 14 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cavalry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

earlier cavallerie, borrowed from Middle French cavalerie, borrowed from Italian cavalleria, earlier cavalaria "group of soldiers on horseback, branch of arms made up of such soldiers," from cavalliere, cavaliere "horseback rider, mounted soldier" + -eria, borrowed from Middle French -erie -ery — more at cavalier entry 2

First Known Use

1546, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of cavalry was in 1546

See more words from the same year

Articles Related to cavalry

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cavalry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cavalry. Accessed 13 Jul. 2023.

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Kids Definition

cavalry

noun

cav·al·ry ˈkav-əl-rē

plural cavalries

: troops mounted on horseback or moving in motor vehicles or helicopters

Etymology

from Italian cavallerie "cavalry, chivalry," from cavaliere "cavalier, knight," derived from Latin caballarius "horseman," from earlier caballus "horse" — related to cavalier, chivalry see Word History at chivalry