One of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
1often as noun joustinghistorical (of a medieval knight) engage in a sporting contest in which two opponents on horseback fight with lances.‘to joust, a man must have an opponent to ride against’‘jousting goes back to medieval days’
enter the lists, tourney, tilt, break a lanceView synonyms
- ‘There is a medieval theme and entertainment including knights, jousting and brass bands.’
- ‘Joan is hanging about with Antigone, and Arthur and Lance are jousting.’
- ‘The two of them flew towards each other at breakneck speeds, like knights jousting.’
- ‘This is a less aggressive mix than you might expect for a movie about knights and jousting.’
- ‘We do all the medieval arts like jousting and sparring, things of that nature.’
2Compete closely for superiority.‘the guerrillas jousted for supremacy’
- ‘Last season on Sunday, that afternoon's stories jousted for the public's attention with that afternoon's draw.’
A medieval sporting contest in which two opponents on horseback fought with lances.‘the king and the young knights at court passed their time in jousts, tournaments, and the chase’
tournament, tourney, tilt, the listsView synonyms
- ‘It speaks of jousts, tournaments, wizards, falconry, enchantresses, damsels in distress, wars, quests, and the code of chivalry.’
- ‘The ancient epic had its counterpart in athletic contests just as the medieval romance had its counterpart in jousts and tournaments between knights.’
- ‘Anne was once more pregnant but at the end of the month, alarmed by news of Henry's heavy fall at a joust, she gave premature birth to a dead son.’
- ‘Along with their other accessories, the warriors' elaborate dress suggests that they brought both wealth and pageantry to combat, which Donnan likens to medieval jousts.’
- ‘Another blare of trumpets called the attention of the spectators, announcing that the first round of the joust would commence.’
Middle English (originally in the sense ‘join battle, engage’): from Old French jouster ‘bring together’, based on Latin juxta ‘near’.
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