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gala

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gala¹

  • /ˈɡɑːlə/ UK
  • /ˈɡælə/ US
  • /ˈɡeɪlə/ US
  • /ˈɡɑlə/ US
  • /ˈɡælə/ Canada
  • /ˈɡeɪlə/ Northumbria

Rhymes with -ɑːlə, -ælə, -eɪlə

Where it comes from

From French gala, or directly from that word's etymon, which is either Italian gala, or Spanish gala, both meaning "festive occasion", and derived from Old French gale (“rejoicing”). (The French word likely kept the final -a to avoid homophony with gale (“scabies”).) Ultimately cognate to gallant and hence probably from Frankish *wala (“good, well”).

adjective

  1. not comparable Celebratory; festive.

noun galas

  1. uncountable Pomp, show, or festivity.
  2. A competition. a swimming gala
  3. countable A showy and festive party.
  4. A red-skinned variety of eating apple.

gala²

Where it comes from

Learned borrowing from Sumerian 𒍑𒆪 (gala), related to Akkadian 𒍑𒆪 (kalû). A connection to the similar Phrygian and Roman priests of Cybele called gallae or galli has been suggested, but evidence is lacking.

noun gala · galas

  1. historical A member of an androgynous class of priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna. (6) Some galas/kalûs are mentioned in Pre-Sargonic and Old Babylonian texts in connection with classes of women, maids, and ḫarimtu-women. (7) The gala is sometimes mentioned in the same context with other functionaries […]

Gala³

  • /ˈɡælə/ place
  • /ˈɡeɪlə/
  • /ˈɡælə/
  • /ˈɡɑːlə/

Where it comes from

Clipping of Galashiels.

proper noun

  1. informal Galashiels, a town in Scotland.

Gala⁴

  • /ˈɡælə/ place
  • /ˈɡeɪlə/
  • /ˈɡælə/
  • /ˈɡɑːlə/

noun Galas

  1. A type of apple, a cross-pollination between Kidd's Orange Red and Golden Delicious.

Gala⁵

  • /ˈɡælə/ place
  • /ˈɡeɪlə/
  • /ˈɡælə/
  • /ˈɡɑːlə/

Where it comes from

From Turkish Gala.

proper noun

  1. Galatasaray S.K. (a Turkish sports club best known for its football team)

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: festive, festal, jamboree, joyous, merry, blowout, gay, gala affair, festivity, festival, fest, fete, shindig, soiree, celebration, spectacle

Translations

Every language

adj festive

Españolde gala
Portuguêsde gala, festivo
Italianogala
Русскийпра́здничный prázdničnyj, торже́ственный toržéstvennyj, парадный paradnyj

noun pomp, show or festivity

Españolgala, fiesta
中文典禮 /典礼 diǎnlǐ, 慶典 /庆典 qìngdiǎn
Portuguêsgala
Françaisgala, fête
Русскийторжество́ toržestvó, пра́зднество prázdnestvo
עבריתגָּאלָה gála

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Cite this
MLA

"gala." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gala. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

gala. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gala

Chicago

"gala." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gala.

BibTeX
@misc{gala_2026,
  title = {gala},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gala},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}