caballeria

See also: caballería

English

Etymology

From Spanish caballería, from caballero (“horseman, gentleman, cowboy”) + -ía (“-y: forming nouns”), from Late Latin caballārius (“horseman, rider”), from Latin caballus (“horse”) + -ārius (“-ary”). Doublet of cavalry and chivalry.

Noun

caballeria (plural caballerias)

1. (historical, law) A medieval Spanish land tenure equivalent to a knight's fee, held under an obligation for military service.
2. (historical) A traditional Spanish unit of land area, equivalent to 38.64 ha.

Usage notes

The area above is the formal Castilian measure, but its regional, colonial, and independent Latin American values varied.

Coordinate terms

• (unit of land area): celemin (1/720 caballeria), fanega (1/60 caballeria), yugada (⅚ caballeria)