paladin
/ˈpalədɪn
/noun historical
1Any of the twelve peers of Charlemagne’s court, of whom the Count Palatine was the chief.In Charlemagne's court, there are twelve legendary paladins who serve their king....
- He knew those legends well, as well as he knew the legends of Roland and the twelve paladins, and he would be intrigued by the retelling.
- Tales of the paladins of Charlemagne once rivalled the stories of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table in popularity.
1.1A knight renowned for heroism and chivalry.He would tell them epic tales of noble knights, paladins, warriors, and samurai....
- He was also standing among a war party of almost thirty knights, paladins, and mages.
- Since he could not be everywhere, especially in the continuous crisis of wartime, Hitler had to encourage self-reliance and independence, both in his paladins and in the regional chieftains, the Gauleiter.
Origin
Late 16th century: from French paladin, from Italian paladino, from Latin palatinus '(officer) of the palace' (see palatine1).