camelot
UK /ˈkæm.əˌlɒt/ · US /ˈkæm.əˌlɑt/ proper noun
Forms camelots
- proper noun (Arthurian legend) A mythical location in England and the stronghold of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend.
- proper noun (US politics) The administration and surrounding mystique of President John F. Kennedy.
Etymology
First attested in Old French as Camaalot in Chrétien de Troyes' Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart. In the US politics sense a reference to the contemporary musical Camelot (1960), associated with the Kennedy era.
Webster’s 1913
- noun See Camelet. [Obs.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “camelot”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details