Templars
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Knights Templar
Nine French knights bound themselves, at the beginning of the 12th century, to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, and received the name of Templars, because their arms were kept in a building given to them for the purpose by the abbot of the convent on the site of the old Temple of Solomon, at Jerusalem. They used to call themselves the "Poor Soldiers of the Holy City.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Templars” mean?
Nine French knights bound themselves, at the beginning of the 12th century, to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, and received the name of Templars, because their arms were kept in a building given to them for the purpose by the abbot of the convent on the site of the old Temple of Solomon, at Jerusalem. They used to call themselves the "Poor Soldiers of the Holy City.
Is “Templars” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.