gauntlet

gauntlet
\ \ The gauntlet of ‘run the gauntlet’ has no etymological connection with gauntlet ‘glove’ [15]. The latter was borrowed from Old French gantelet, a diminutive form of gant ‘glove’. This was originally a Germanic loanword, with surviving relatives in Swedish and Danish vante ‘glove’. As for ‘running the gauntlet’, it was to begin with ‘running the gantlope’, in which gantlope signified ‘two lines of people armed with sticks, who attacked someone forced to run between them’. This was borrowed in the 17th century from Swedish gatlopp, a descendant of Old Swedish gatulop ‘passageway’; this was a compound noun formed from gata ‘way’ (related to English gate, gait) and lop ‘course’ (related to English leap and lope). Under the influence of gauntlet ‘glove’, English changed gatlopp to gantlope, and thence to gantlet (now restricted in use to an ‘overlapping section of railway track’) and gauntlet (as in ‘run the gauntlet’).
\ \ Cf.⇒ GAIT, GATE, LEAP, LOPE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Gauntlet — or gantlet may mean:* Gauntlet (glove), protective gloves used as a form of armour * Gauntlet (marking), the white markings on one or more of the legs of an animal such as a cat or rabbit, making them look like they have a long white glove on *… …   Wikipedia

  • Gauntlet — Éditeur Atari Games Développeur Atari Games Concepteur Ed Logg …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gauntlet IV — Éditeur Tengen Développeur Tengen Date de sortie 1993 Genre Action Mode de jeu 1 à 4 joueurs Plate forme …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gauntlet — es una serie arcade de juegos de mazmorras desarrollado por Atari Games. Los juegos de la serie pueden referirse a: Gauntlet (1985) Gauntlet II (1986) Gauntlet: The Third Encounter (1990) Gauntlet III: The Final Quest (1991) Gauntlet IV (1993)… …   Wikipedia Español

  • gauntlet — Ⅰ. gauntlet [1] ► NOUN 1) a stout glove with a long loose wrist. 2) a glove worn as part of medieval armour, made of leather with protective steel plates. ● take up (or throw down) the gauntlet Cf. ↑throw down the gauntlet …   English terms dictionary

  • Gauntlet — Gaunt let, n. [F. gantelet, dim. of gant glove, LL. wantus, of Teutonic origin; cf. D. want, Sw. & Dan. vante, Icel. v[ o]ttr, for vantr.] 1. A glove of such material that it defends the hand from wounds. [1913 Webster] Note: The gauntlet of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gauntlet — (engl.: Fehdehandschuh) bezeichnet unter anderem folgende Dinge: ein Computerspiel aus dem Jahr 1985, siehe Gauntlet (Computerspiel) das russische Luftabwehrraketensystem SA 15 Gauntlet, siehe Tor M1 einen Film von 1977, siehe Der Mann, der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • gauntlet — There are two distinct words here: (1) ‘a stout glove’ used in the expression throw down the gauntlet (= accept a challenge), from an Old French diminutive of gant meaning ‘glove’, and (2) used in the phrase run the gauntlet (= undergo a… …   Modern English usage

  • gauntlet — gauntlet1 [gônt′lit, gänt′lit] n. [ME < OFr gantelet, dim. of gant, a glove < Frank * want, a mitten, akin to EFris wante] 1. a medieval glove, usually of leather covered with metal plates, worn by knights in armor to protect the hand in… …   English World dictionary

  • Gauntlet — Gaunt let, n. (Mil.) See {Gantlet}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gauntlet — Ⅰ. gaunt·let1 also gant·let (gônt’lĭt, gänt’ ) n. 1. A protective glove, usually extending over some of the forearm, worn as part of medieval armor. 2. Any of various protective gloves, usually with an extended or flared cuff, as used in certain… …   Word Histories

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