Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A paragon of chivalry; a heroic champion.
- n. A strong supporter or defender of a cause: "the paladin of plain speaking” ( Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.)
- n. Any of the 12 peers of Charlemagne's court.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In the cycle of romances of Charlemagne, one of the knightly champions who accompanied that monarch to war; hence, by extension, a knight errant; a heroic champion.
Wiktionary
- n. A heroic champion (especially a knightly one).
- n. A defender or advocate of a noble cause. (A defender of faith).
- n. Any of the twelve Companions of the court of Emperor Charlemagne.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A knight-errant; a distinguished champion.
WordNet 3.0
- n. someone who fights for a cause
Etymologies
- French, from Italian paladino, from Late Latin palātīnus, palatine; see palatine1.
Examples
“Said paladin is only absent a few moments before returning to the bar and his suspiciously empty cider, which the bartender quickly refills without comment.”
“And I think I've discovered that blood elf/paladin is my very favorite flavor combination so far.”
“Suraa, Spooky's blood elf paladin, is now at Level 44, because I haven't been playing quite as much, and so she's gotten a little ahead.”
“My paladin is level 71, so also a candidate to hang out with Crossfire, but I don't want to go Retribution.”
“I've been seventy years an admired hero, the Hector of Afghanistan, the chap who led the Light Brigade, daredevil survivor of countless stricken fields, honoured by Queen and Country, V.C. and Medal of Honour - folk simply don't want to know that such a paladin was a rotter and bully in childhood, and if he was, they don't care.”
Flashman and the angel of the lord
“He plucked away the face-cloth, and uncovered the awful visage left to him, almost lipless, one cheek shrunken away, the nostrils eaten into great, discoloured holes, a face in which only the live and brilliant eyes recalled the paladin of Jerusalem and Ascalon.”
The Leper of Saint Giles
“The holy sword paladin spell can only be cast on melee weapons, though.”
“Let's do just that., the paladin was a shining example of the Alliance, a symbol of what the Horde would never have -- purity of heart, a second plate class and, most importantly, the bubble.”
“Take notice that this "paladin" is a macaroni-seller, strongly suspected of trying to hoodwink the French courts.”
“Salome Levison went home more thoughtful and dreamy than ever before -- more out of favor with herself, more in love with her "paladin," more resolved never to marry any man except he should be John Scott,”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘paladin’.
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Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
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Tolkien's archaisms
sigaldry, moot, kine, fey, eyot, ghylls, gangrel, glede, ilexes, laved, niggard, league and 44 more...
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Paladin
heroic mot-i(c)ons
el cid, paladin, hero, pahlevan, lifesaver, dickens, bellerophon, abydos, ramachandra, arminius, saga, Arpad and 42 more...
madmouth All her harvest buttoned in
All her ornaments untried
Waiting for the paladin
Prosperous and ocean-eyed
Who shall rub her secrets out
And behold the hinted bride
-from "The Anniad" Nov 25, 2009
reesetee Hey, your brain is still firing madly, and that's the important part. :-) Nov 1, 2007
sionnach We had "Have Gun wii Travel" in Ireland, but I preferred "Bat Masterson".
Yes. I am ancient. I am out of Ireland and I am ancient. Or, as Washington Irving would surely describe it, "stricken in years". Nov 1, 2007
reesetee Ooh! I vaguely remember that show! Nov 1, 2007
skipvia Great show, eh Oro? I'd love to see that again sometime. (Or maybe it's just better remembered...) Nov 1, 2007
oroboros "Have Gun, Will Travel"!! Yeowsuh boss! Nov 1, 2007
skipvia Pre-1960. I've very old... Nov 1, 2007
seanahan I've heard of it, but it was well before my time. Nov 1, 2007
skipvia I don't suppose anyone remembers the TV show "Have Gun--Will Travel," with the gentlemanly champion-for-hire Paladin (no other name was ever given) and his trademark knight chess piece? Nov 1, 2007
cathari Oh, haha. So much for D&D.
I have to admit I have a strong attachment to the phrase due to a (different, actually) game I played when I was younger. It was used in that game to signify a knight serving Light, and specifically one who had undergone trials that he couldn't pass if he wasn't of the right type; so being a Paladin, having passed this test that no one had ever passed before, said a lot about his inner character (which was also borne out by his actions, of course-- but because he was a Paladin and because of what this meant, one knew that those actions were really true to what was inside him, that he really was like that through and through... it was just a lovely and fascinating thought, to me.) Nov 1, 2007
seanahan Paladin means imperial guard, but specifically refers to one of Charlemagne's guard, and since he was the Holy Roman Emperor, I can see how the connotation could be applied. Nov 1, 2007
cathari Doesn't it usually have connotations of religion, or have I just been infused with too much Dungeons & Dragons? Oct 31, 2007
jeffazi champion: someone who fights for a cause. Oct 31, 2007