the.com/knighthood
Proof that a sword tap can outrank a lifetime of actual achievement.
means The rank, dignity, or status of being a knight — either the medieval order of mounted, armored warriors bound by chivalric code, or the honorary title still bestowed today by monarchs.
from From Old English 'cniht,' which originally just meant 'boy' or 'servant' — a lowly word for a household attendant. Over centuries in English and the related Germanic tongues, the term climbed the social ladder: the servant-boy who attended a lord in battle became the mounted warrior himself, and 'cniht' narrowed into 'knight.' The suffix '-hood' (from 'had,' meaning condition or state) simply tacks on the idea of 'the state of being one.' So the word's own history performs its essence — it rose from nothing, by attachment to power, exactly like the honor it names.
- not hereditary
- earned anew each time, unlike most British titles
- the tap
- flat of the sword, shoulder only, nobody gets stabbed
- two per year
- honours lists cap how many Sirs England produces
- no real power
- grants a Sir, not a seat, a vote, or land