[UN-1 7.]
1. Not appropriate to a knight or to knighthood.
c. 1412. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 2286. Of suche vnknyghtly trikkes he nat roghte.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., lv. The crueltee of that vnknyghtly dede.
1586. Ferne, Blaz. Gentry, 161. Lewes … had so vnknightlye a regarde … of Armes, that [etc.].
1611. Guillim, Heraldry, II. vi. 56. Base and vnknightly actions and qualities, deserue a base and vnknightly chastisement.
1664. Butler, Hud., II. I. 832. I here … free you from th’ Unknightly Jail.
1704. D’Urfey, Tales, Abradatus & P., I. 12. The dire reward that did belong To him that Acted such unknightly wrong.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, viii. The unknightly advantage which yonder rascal had taken of his stumbling horse.
1860. Gen. P. Thompson, Audi Alt. Part., III. cxlii. 123. A foreign force … threatening to sack, unless unknightly and degrading terms were complied with.
2. Unlike a knight; not having the qualities of a knight.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., V. iii. 35. Vnknightly Knight,… Loe I defie thee.
1813. Byron, Ch. Har., Pref., Add. It has been stated, that … he is very unknightly, as the times of the Knights were times of Love, Honour, and so forth.
1842. Tennyson, Morte d’Arth., 120. Ah,… untrue, Unknightly, traitor-hearted!
