cavalcade

What it means

1. collectiveA procession of riders, vehicles, ships, etc.

   1 more example

   To the onlooker, and particularly to those whose memories go back to pre-grouping days, the modern cavalcade of "V2s" and "B1s" is apt to become a little monotonous; but to any running man the general utility characteristics of these two classes are a perfect godsend at times of exceptional pressure, when it is often a case of "first in—first out" with locomotive allocations at sheds.

   1949 November and December, O. S. Nock, “Twenty-Four Hours at York—2”, in Railway Magazine, pages 357–358

   Synonyms: company

2. A ceremonial parade.

   In the second row of the cavalcade were Francie, Fanny's god-daughter, now thirteen years old and already elegant in long frilled pantalettes, tartan skirts, and a leghorn hat with streamers, …

   1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House Is Built, Chapter IX, Section iii

   1 more example

   For the first three hours all went as well as could be expected, and then an accident happened that nearly lost us the pleasure of the company of our venerable friend Billali, whose litter was leading the cavalcade.

   1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC

   Synonyms: parade, procession

3. A trail ride, usually more than one day long.

   Stranleigh found no difficulty in getting a cavalcade together at Bleacher’s station, an amazingly long distance west of New York.

   1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad

In a sentence

To the onlooker, and particularly to those whose memories go back to pre-grouping days, the modern cavalcade of "V2s" and "B1s" is apt to become a little monotonous; but to any running man the general utility characteristics of these two classes are a perfect godsend at times of exceptional pressure, when it is often a case of "first in—first out" with locomotive allocations at sheds.

1949 November and December, O. S. Nock, “Twenty-Four Hours at York—2”, in Railway Magazine, pages 357–358

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Celtic*kaballosder.?
2. Latincaballus
3. Late Latincaballicō
4. Old Italiancavalcare
5. Old Italiancavalcata
6. Old Frenchcavalcade
7. Frenchcavalcade
8. Englishcavalcade

From French cavalcade, from Old French cavalcade, from Old Italian cavalcata, from cavalcare (“to ride on horseback”), from Medieval Latin caballicō, from Vulgar Latin caballus (“horse”). Doublet of chevauchee.