gallivant

English

WOTD – 1 June 2009

Alternative forms

• galavant, gallavant

Etymology

1809, from gallant (“wooing women”), originally in sense “to flirt”, broadened to mean “roaming without plan”.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɡæl.ɪ.vænt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡæl.ɪ.vænt/, /ˌɡæl.əˈvænt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ænt

Verb

gallivant (third-person singular simple present gallivants, present participle gallivanting, simple past and past participle gallivanted)

1. (intransitive) To roam about for pleasure without any definite plan.

   Synonym: gad

   • 1914, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 18, in Miss Billy – Married, page 214:

     Bertram, it is true, when he heard of the plan, rebelled, and asserted that what Billy needed was a rest, an entire rest from care and labor. In fact, what he wanted her to do, he said, was to gallivant – to gallivant all day long.

   • 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club‎^[1]:

     The episode also opens with an inspired bit of business for Homer, who blithely refuses to acquiesce to an elderly neighbor’s utterly reasonable request that he help make the process of selling her house easier by wearing pants when he gallivants about in front of windows, throw out his impressive collection of rotting Jack-O-Lanterns from previous Halloweens and take out his garbage, as it’s attracting wildlife (cue moose and Northern Exposure theme song).

2. (intransitive, obsolete) To flirt, to romance.

Translations

roam about for pleasure

• Arabic: تسكع
• Bulgarian: шляя се (šljaja se)
• Czech: toulat se
• Dutch: flaneren (nl)
• French: flâner (fr)
• Galician: ruar (gl)
• Georgian: ხეტიალი (ka) (xeṭiali), წანწალი (c̣anc̣ali)
• German: herumstreunen (de), herumbummeln (de)
• Italian: vagare (it), girovagare (it), gironzolare (it), bighellonare (it), andare a zonzo
• Ladin: ji a loter
• Macedonian: ака (aka), се шета (se šeta), се проведува (se proveduva)
• Norman: galvaûder
• Russian: гуля́ть (ru) (guljátʹ), слоня́ться (ru) (slonjátʹsja), шля́ться (ru) (šljátʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: rach air fàrsan
• Serbo-Croatian: ševrdati (sh), vrludati (sh)
• Spanish: paseo (es)
• Swedish: drälla (sv), driva omkring, dagdriva, dröna (sv)

flirt, romance

• Bulgarian: флиртувам (bg) (flirtuvam)
• Czech: flirtovat (cs)
• Dutch: flirten (nl)
• French: flirter (fr), conter fleurette (fr)
• Georgian: ფლირტი (plirṭi)
• German: flirten (de), schäkern (de)
• Macedonian: се додворува (se dodvoruva), кокети́ра (koketíra)
• Russian: флиртовать (ru) (flirtovatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: beadraich
• Serbo-Croatian: flertovati (sh)