gallant
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gallant¹
- /ˈɡælənt/
Rhymes with -ælənt
Where it comes from
From Middle English galant, galaunt, from 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”), a variant form of *wela, from Proto-Germanic *wela (whence well), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, wish”); or alternatively from Frankish *gail (“merry; mirthful; proud; luxuriant”), from 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”).
adjective more gallant · most gallant · gallaunt
- Brave, valiant, courteous, especially with regard to male attitudes towards women. That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds.
- Honorable. 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 t
- Grand, noble.
- Showy; splendid; magnificent; gay; well-dressed. This town is built in a very gallant place.
gallant²
- /ɡəˈlænt/ UK
- /ˈɡælənt/ UK
- /ɡəˈlɑnt/ US
- /ˈɡælənt/ US
Rhymes with -ænt
Where it comes from
17th-century borrowing from French galant. See above.
adjective more gallant · most gallant · gallaunt
- Polite and attentive to ladies; courteous to women; chivalrous. 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.
noun gallants · gallaunt
-
A fashionable young man who is polite and attentive to women.
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 […]
Similar: blade, blood, masher, barbermonger, beau, buck, carpet knight, cockscomb, dandy, dike, dood, dude
-
One who woos, a lover, a suitor, a seducer.
[…] 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.
Similar: adulterer, bed-hopper, carpetmonger, chamberer, debauchee, debaucher, fornicator, gallant, lecher, lewdster, libertine, hood rat
- A topgallant.
verb gallants · gallanting · gallanted · gallaunt
- To attend or wait on (a lady). to gallant ladies to the play
- To handle with grace or in a modish manner. to gallant a fan
- To conduct, escort, convey. ... and the canoes of Vivenza, locking their yard-arms into those of the vanquished, very courteously gallanted them into their coral harbors.
- To behave in a gallant fashion; to act the gallant. How different is the young, fun-loving, comical, quizzing, gallanting Captain Arthur Wellesley, when residing in his shooting lodge between Summerhill and Dangan, from the stern, cautious, careworn Fabius of the Peninsular war[.]
Gallant³
proper noun Gallants
- A surname.
- A census-designated place in Etowah County and St. Clair County, Alabama, United States, named after a pioneer settler.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: proud, courageous, brave, majestic, spirited, dashing, impressive, beau, courteous, fop, dandy, lofty, fashion plate, chivalrous, dude, fearless
Translations
Every language
adj brave, valiant
| Español | gallardo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 勇ましい isamashī, 勇敢な yūkan na |
| Português | valente |
| Français | brave |
| Italiano | valoroso |
| Ελληνικά | γενναίος gennaíos, ανδρείος andreíos |
| Русский | хра́брый xrábryj, бра́вый brávyj, до́блестный dóblestnyj, сме́лый smélyj, отва́жный otvážnyj |
adj honourable
| Italiano | galante, gentiluomo, cavaliere |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | ευγενής evgenís, αβρός avrós |
| Русский | гала́нтный galántnyj, почте́нный počténnyj, любе́зный ljubéznyj, обходи́тельный obxodítelʹnyj |
adj polite and attentive to ladies
| Español | galán, galano |
|---|---|
| Português | galante |
| Deutsch | galant |
| Italiano | galante |
| Ελληνικά | ιπποτικός ippotikós |
| Română | galant |
| Русский | гала́нтный galántnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | ga-lăng, hào hiệp |
noun fashionable young man
| Español | galán |
|---|---|
| Italiano | damerino |
| Русский | све́тский челове́к svétskij čelovék, дже́нтльме́н džéntlʹmén, щёголь ščógolʹ |
noun one who woos — see also lover
| Español | galán |
|---|
Talk about this word "gallant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gallant. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. gallant. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gallant "gallant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gallant.Cite this
@misc{gallant_2026,
title = {gallant},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gallant},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
