Equerry
/ˈɛkwəri/noun
An officer of a royal household who attends a member of the royal family, especially on official duties.
Did you know?Equerry comes from the same ancient horse-root that gave English words like *equestrian* and *equine*, because in medieval courts, horse duty was a serious path to elite status.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
equerie
“a stable or place where horses were kept”
Old French
Old French
escurie
“a stable; horse-keeping establishment”
Late Latin
Latin
scuria
“stable, horseshed”
Latin
Latin
equus
“horse”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁éḱwos
“horse”
Explore more surprising origins