gallant

English

Alternative forms

• gallaunt (obsolete)

Etymology 1

From Middle English galant, galaunt, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French galant (“courteous; dashing; brave”), present participle of galer (“to rejoice; make merry”), from gale (“pomp; show; festivity; mirth”); either from Frankish *wala- (“good, well”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *wal-, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, wish”); or alternatively from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Frankish *gail (“merry; mirthful; proud; luxuriant”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *gailaz (“merry; excited; luxurious”), related to Dutch geil (“horny; lascivious; salacious; lecherous”), German geil (“randy; horny; lecherous; wicked”), Old English gāl (“wanton; wicked; bad”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡælənt/
• Rhymes: -ælənt

Adjective

gallant (comparative more gallant, superlative most gallant)

1. brave, valiant.
   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds.

2. honorable.
   • Template:RQ:EHough PrqsPrc

     Captain Edward Carlisle […] felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, […]; he could not tell what this prisoner might do. He cursed the fate which had assigned such a duty, cursed especially that fate which forced a gallant soldier to meet so superb a woman as this under handicap so hard.

3. Grand, noble.
4. (obsolete) Showy; splendid; magnificent; gay; well-dressed.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Evelyn and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The town is built in a very gallant place.

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     our royal, good and gallant ship

Related terms

• gallantly
• gallantry

Translations

brave, valiant

• Bulgarian: храбър (bg) (hrabǎr), доблестен (bg) (doblesten)
• Czech: odvážný (cs) m, odhodlaný m
• Esperanto: brava
• Finnish: urhea (fi), uljas (fi)
• French: brave (fr) m
• Georgian: გულადი (guladi), მამაცი (mamaci), მხნე (mxne), გაბედული (gabeduli), გამბედავი (gambedavi)
• Greek: γενναίος (el) m (gennaíos), ανδρείος (el) m (andreíos)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: valoroso (it) m
• Japanese: 勇ましい (いさましい, isamashī), 勇敢な (ゆうかんな、 yūkan-na)
• Russian: хра́брый (ru) (xrábryj), бра́вый (ru) (brávyj), до́блестный (ru) (dóblestnyj), сме́лый (ru) (smélyj), отва́жный (ru) (otvážnyj)
• Spanish: gallardo (es) m, valiente (es)
• Swedish: tapper (sv)

honourable

• Bulgarian: почетен (bg) (početen)
• Czech: úctyhodný (cs) m
• Esperanto: galanta
• Finnish: kunniallinen (fi), kunniakas
• Georgian: გალანტური (galanṭuri), თავაზიანი (tavaziani), ზრდილი (zrdili)
• Greek: ευγενής (el) m (evgenís), αβρός (el) m (avrós)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ido: galanta (io)
• Italian: galante (it), gentiluomo (it) m, cavaliere (it) m
• Russian: гала́нтный (ru) (galántnyj), почте́нный (ru) (počténnyj), любе́зный (ru) (ljubéznyj) (courteous), обходи́тельный (ru) (obxodítelʹnyj) (courteous)
• Spanish: cortés (es)

Etymology 2

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡəˈlænt/, /ˈɡælənt/
• IPA^(key): /ɡəˈlɑnt/, /ˈɡælənt/
• Rhymes: -ænt

Adjective

gallant (comparative more gallant, superlative most gallant)

1. Polite and attentive to ladies; courteous to women; chivalrous.
   • 1815, Jane Austen, Emma, volume II, chapter 17:

     I admire all that quaint, old-fashioned politeness; it is much more to my taste than modern ease; modern ease often disgusts me. But this good old Mr. Woodhouse, I wish you had heard his gallant speeches to me at dinner. Oh! I assure you I began to think my caro sposo would be absolutely jealous.

Translations

polite and attentive to ladies

• Armenian: կնամեծար (hy) (knamecar)
• Bulgarian: галантен (bg) (galanten)
• Czech: galantní (cs)
• Georgian: გალანტური (galanṭuri)
• Greek: ιπποτικός (el) m (ippotikós)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: galante (it) m
• Portuguese: galante (pt)
• Romanian: galant (ro)
• Vietnamese: ga-lăng, hào hiệp (vi)

Noun

gallant (plural gallants)

1. (dated) A fashionable young man who is polite and attentive to women.
   • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 1 scene 2

     PROSPERO: […] this gallant which thou see'st / Was in the wrack; and but he's something stain'd /with grief,—that beauty's canker,—thou mightst call him / A goodly person […]

2. One who woos, a lover, a suitor, a seducer.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

     […] they were discovered in a very improper manner by the husband of the gypsy, who, from jealousy it seems, had kept a watchful eye over his wife, and had dogged her to the place, where he found her in the arms of her gallant.

   • 1819, John Keats, Otho the Great, Act III, Scene II, verses 140-143

     The ignominy of that whisper’d tale / About a midnight gallant, seen to climb / A window to her chamber neighbour’d near, / I will from her turn off, […]

3. (nautical) topgallant

Translations

(dated) fashionable young man

• Bulgarian: кавалер (bg) m (kavaler)
• Georgian: კავალერი (ḳavaleri), ჯენტლმენი (ǯenṭlmeni), გამოსული კაცი (gamosuli ḳaci)
• Irish: croíán m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: damerino (it) m
• Russian: све́тский челове́к m (svétskij čelovék), дже́нтльме́н (ru) m (džéntlʹmén), щёголь (ru) m (ščógolʹ)

one who woos, a lover

• Sanskrit: कामुक (sa) m (kāmuka)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Verb

gallant (third-person singular simple present gallants, present participle gallanting, simple past and past participle gallanted)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To attend or wait on (a lady).

   to gallant ladies to the play

2. (obsolete, transitive) To handle with grace or in a modish manner.

   to gallant a fan

References

• “gallant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

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Welsh

Alternative forms

• gallan (colloquial)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡaɬant/

Verb

gallant

1. (literary) third-person plural present/future of gallu

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
gallant	allant	ngallant	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.