gallant

gallant
\ \ [14] Gallant originated as the present participle of Old French galermake merry, rejoice’. This probably came from Gallo- Romance *walāre, a derivative of Frankish *walawell’ (of which English well is a relative). Following its French model, the English adjective originally meant ‘showy, splendid, gorgeous’ as well as ‘spirited, brave’ and ‘courteous, polished’ (the last of which led in the 17th century to ‘courteously attentive to women’ and ‘amorous’). Regale [17] too goes back to Old French galer.
\ \ Cf.REGALE, WELL

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Gallant — may refer to:In fiction* Felicia Gallant, a character on the soap opera Another World * Michael Gallant, a medical doctor in the TV series ER * Goofus Gallant, a cartoon in Highlights for Children featuring two contrasting boys to show… …   Wikipedia

  • Gallant — Gal lant (g[a^]l lant), a. [F. gallant, prop. p. pr. of OF. galer to rejoice, akin to OF. gale amusement, It. gala ornament; of German origin; cf. OHG. geil merry, luxuriant, wanton, G. geil lascivious, akin to AS. g[=a]l wanton, wicked, OS.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gallant — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Gerard Gallant (* 1963), kanadischer Eishockeyspieler Mavis Gallant (* 1922), kanadische Schriftstellerin Trevor Gallant (* 1975), kanadischer Eishockeyspieler Ort in den Vereinigten Staaten: Gallant… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gallant — Gal*lant , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Gallanted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Gallanting}.] 1. To attend or wait on, as a lady; as, to gallant ladies to the play. [1913 Webster] 2. To handle with grace or in a modish manner; as, to gallant a fan. [Obs.] Addison.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gallant — [gal′ənt; ] for adj.4 & n. usually, and for v. always, [gə lant′, gəlänt′] adj. [ME galaunt < OFr galant, merry, brave, prp. of galer, to rejoice, make merry < gala: see GALA] 1. showy and lively in dress or manner 2. stately; imposing [a… …   English World dictionary

  • Gallant — Gal*lant (?; 277), a. Polite and attentive to ladies; courteous to women; chivalrous. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gallant — Gal*lant (?; 277), n. 1. A man of mettle or spirit; a gay, fashionable man; a young blood. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. One fond of paying attention to ladies. [1913 Webster] 3. One who wooes; a lover; a suitor; in a bad sense, a seducer. Addison.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gallant — Gallant, Bai im Süden von Patagonien (Südamerika) …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • gallant — index heroic, magnanimous, undaunted Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Gallant —   [gə lænt], Mavis Leslie, geboren Young [jʌȖ], kanadische Schriftstellerin englischer Sprache, * Montreal 11. 8. 1922; lebt seit 1950 überwiegend in Europa, v. a. in Paris. Beherrschendes Thema ihrer Prosa ist die Entfremdung in komplexen… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • gallant — adj courtly, chivalrous, courteous, polite, *civil Analogous words: attentive, considerate, *thoughtful: *spirited, mettle some, high spirited: urbane, *suave …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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