E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Childe,
as Childe Harold, Childe of Ellechilde Waters, Childe Roland, Childe Tristram, Childe Arthur, etc. In all these cases the word “Childe” is a title of honour, like the infante and infanta of Spain. In the times of chivalry, the noble youths who were candidates for knighthood were, during their time of probation, called infans, valets, damoysels, and bacheliers. Childe or infant was the term given only to the most noble. (In Anglo-Saxon, the same word [cniht] means both a child and a knight.)
