cavalry

noun

cav·​al·​ry ˈka-vəl-rē 

nonstandard

ˈkal-və-rē 

plural cavalries

1

a

: an army component mounted on horseback

b

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

2

: horsemen

a thousand cavalry in flight

Examples of cavalry in a Sentence

Cavalry is used to perform reconnaissance.

The cavalry were brought in to support the mission.

Recent Examples on the Web

Their warm and wet climates couldn’t produce the brawny horses needed for their cavalries. —David Chaffetz, Fortune Asia, 15 Dec. 2024

The Black Dragoons, an armed Black cavalry company led by white officer Benjamin Thompson, emerged to fill this need. —Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024

Burwood is housed in The Stables Building at the Currie Barracks, the former home of a cavalry regiment. —Sofia Perez, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

In this light, the War of the Heavenly Horses can be seen as a multipurpose affair: the arrival of the semi-legendary horses wouldn’t just invigorate China’s cavalry but shore up the emperor’s legitimacy at the same time. —Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 2 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing cavalry

• cavalry twill

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