A knight is a "gentleman soldier" or member of the warrior class of the Middle Ages in Europe. In other Indo-European languages, cognates of cavalier or rider are more prevalent (viz French chevalier and German Ritter), suggesting a connection to the knight's legendary mode of transport.
Some orders of knighthood, such as the Knights Templar have themselves become the stuff of legends, others have disappeared into obscurity. Today, a number of orders of knighthood continue to exist in several countries, such as the Order of the Garter, the Swedish Royal Order of the Seraphim, the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. Each of these orders carry their own criteria for eligibility, but knighthood is generally granted by a head of state to a selected person for some merit of achievement.
Example
User Image