different between gallant vs galant

English

Alternative forms

• gallaunt (obsolete)

Etymology 1

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”), from Proto-Germanic *wal-, from Proto-Indo-European *welh?- (“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 g?l (“wanton; wicked; bad”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??æl?nt/
• Rhymes: -æl?nt

Adjective

gallant (comparative more gallant, superlative most gallant)

1. brave, valiant.
2. 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 this under handicap so hard.

3. grand, noble.
4. (obsolete) Showy; splendid; magnificent; gay; well-dressed.

   • This town [is built in a very gallant place.

Related terms

• gallantly
• gallantry

Translations

Etymology 2

From French

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???lænt/, /??æl?nt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /???l?nt/, /??æl?nt/
• Rhymes: -ænt

Adjective

gallant (comparative more gallant, superlative most gallant)

1. Polite and attentive to ladies; courteous to women; chivalrous.

Translations

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

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).

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

References

• gallant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Welsh

Alternative forms

• gallan (colloquial)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??a?ant/

Verb

gallant

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

Mutation

Catalan

Etymology

From French galant.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /???lant/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /???lan/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /?a?lant/

Adjective

galant (feminine galanta, masculine plural galants, feminine plural galantes)

1. gallant, charming, flirtatious
2. (colloquial) remarkable, excellent

Usage notes

In the sense of "excellent", galant precedes the noun it modifies, e.g.

Derived terms

• galà
• galantejar
• galanteria

Noun

galant m (plural galants)

1. gallant
2. male lead, hero

Further reading

• “galant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

Present participle of Old French galer, from Frankish *wala (“well”), from Proto-Germanic *wal, from Proto-Indo-European *wel(h?)- (“to choose, wish”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?a.l??/

Verb

galant

1. present participle of galer

Adjective

galant (feminine singular galante, masculine plural galants, feminine plural galantes)

1. gallant, courteous, gentlemanly
2. flirtatious, amorous; racy

Derived terms

• femme galante
• rendez-vous galant

Descendants

• ? Catalan: galant, galà

Noun

galant m (plural galants)

1. (archaic or humorous) suitor, admirer

Further reading

• “galant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• glanât

Gallo

Etymology

From Old French galant (“brave; noble; chivalrous”).

Noun

galant m (plural galants)

1. lover

German

Etymology

From French galant.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

galant (comparative galanter, superlative am galantesten)

1. gallant

Declension

Further reading

• “galant” in Duden online

Norman

Etymology

From Old French galant (“brave; noble; chivalrous”).

Noun

galant m (plural galants)

1. (Jersey) boyfriend

Old French

Verb

galant

1. present participle of galer

Adjective

galant m (oblique and nominative feminine singular galant or galante)

1. brave; noble; chivalrous

Romanian

Etymology

From French galant.

Adjective

galant m or n (feminine singular galant?, masculine plural galan?i, feminine and neuter plural galante)

1. gallant

Declension