Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
CALVARY / CAVALRY
These words may be more often misused by speakers than by writers, but when I heard a history professor say Calvary when he obviously meant cavalry, I thought some clarification might be useful for us all.
Traditionally, troops on horseback made up the cavalry (think Adventures of Rin Tin Tin if you’re old enough to remember that 1950s TV show). The U.S. Army still has a cavalry division, but now it’s made up of soldiers in motorized vehicles rather than on horseback.
On the other hand, according to the New Testament of the Holy Bible, Calvary is the name of the hill on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
INCORRECT: The calvary divisions played an important role on both sides of the American Civil War.
CORRECT: The cavalry divisions played an important role on both sides of the American Civil War.
INCORRECT: Jesus died on the cross of Cavalry.
CORRECT: Jesus died on the cross of Calvary.
To help you remember which one of these words to use for soldiers on horseback, think of those soldiers as being valiant. The word cavalry contains the letters v-a-l, the first three letters of the word valiant, in the same order. The word Calvary does not and begins with a capital letter like the nickname Cal, often short for Calvin, and begins with those same three letters.
© 2024 Ann Henry, all rights reserved.