knight

a Knight of the Round Table was always a man, and there was no equivalent for a woman. Today, either a woman or a man may be knighted, although this was not always the case. Women members of British orders of knighthood are called ladies and addressed as dames; men are called knights and addressed as sirs. For inclusive modern-day alternatives to the metaphorical use of "knight," use champion, hero. Full membership in groups with "knight" in their title (for example, the Knights of Columbus) is generally reserved for men. The word "knight" is not always a clue to noble deeds and high-mindedness; the most visible (so to speak) of the infamous kind are the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. See also knight errant, knight in shining armor.