Knight vs. Sir — What's the Difference?

A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity.Knighthood finds origins in the Greek hippeis and hoplite (ἱππεῖς) and Roman eques and centurion of classical antiquity.In the Early Middle Ages in Europe, knighthood was conferred upon mounted warriors. During the High Middle Ages, knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility.

Sir is a formal English honourific address for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Traditionally, as governed by law and custom, "Sir" is used for men titled as knights, i.e., of orders of chivalry, and later also applied to baronets and other offices.

A medieval tenant giving military service as a mounted man-at-arms to a feudal landholder.

Sir Used as an honorific before the given name or the full name of baronets and knights.

A medieval gentleman-soldier, usually high-born, raised by a sovereign to privileged military status after training as a page and squire.

Used as a form of polite address for a man

A man holding a nonhereditary title conferred by a sovereign in recognition of personal merit or service to the country.

Used as a salutation in a letter

A man belonging to an order or brotherhood.

A man of a higher rank or position.

A defender, champion, or zealous upholder of a cause or principle.

A respectful term of address to a man of higher rank or position, particularly:

The devoted champion of a lady.

To a knight or other low member of the peerage.

Abbr. Kt or N(Games) A chess piece, usually in the shape of a horse's head, that can be moved two squares along a rank and one along a file or two squares along a file and one along a rank. The knight is the only piece that can jump other pieces to land on an open square.

To a superior military officer.

To raise (a person) to knighthood.

To a teacher.

(historical) A young servant or follower; a trained military attendant in service of a lord.

A respectful term of address to an adult male (often older), especially if his name or proper title is unknown.

(historical) A minor nobleman with an honourable military rank who had served as a page and squire.

To address (someone) using "sir".

(by extension) An armored and mounted warrior of the Middle Ages.

A man of social authority and dignity; a lord; a master; a gentleman; - in this sense usually spelled sire.

A person obliged to provide knight service in exchange for maintenance of an estate held in knight's fee.

A title prefixed to the Christian name of a knight or a baronet.

(modern) A person on whom a knighthood has been conferred by a monarch.

An English rendering of the LAtin Dominus, the academical title of a bachelor of arts; - formerly colloquially, and sometimes contemptuously, applied to the clergy.

(literary) A brave, chivalrous and honorable man devoted to a noble cause or love interest.

A respectful title, used in addressing a man, without being prefixed to his name; - used especially in speaking to elders or superiors; sometimes, also, used in the way of emphatic formality.

(chess) A chess piece, often in the shape of a horse's head, that is moved two squares in one direction and one at right angles to that direction in a single move, leaping over any intervening pieces.

Term of address for a man

A playing card bearing the figure of a knight; the knave or jack.

A title used before the name of knight or baronet

(entomology) Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Ypthima.

(modern) Any mushroom belonging to genus Tricholoma.

(transitive) To confer knighthood upon.

To promote (a pawn) to a knight.

A young servant or follower; a military attendant.

In feudal times, a man-at-arms serving on horseback and admitted to a certain military rank with special ceremonies, including an oath to protect the distressed, maintain the right, and live a stainless life.

A piece used in the game of chess, usually bearing a horse's head.

A playing card bearing the figure of a knight; the knave or jack.

To dub or create (one) a knight; - done in England by the sovereign only, who taps the kneeling candidate with a sword, saying: Rise, Sir --.

Originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit

A chessman in the shape of a horse's head; can move two squares horizontally and one vertically (or vice versa)

Raise (someone) to knighthood;