Word of the Day

: July 28, 2011

gallivant

verb GAL-uh-vant

What It Means

1 : to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex

2 : to travel, roam, or move about for pleasure

gallivant in Context

After graduating from college, Maureen spent a year gallivanting all over Europe before coming back home to find a job.

"I never was one to gallivant around in order to be seen. I was much more interested in looking." -- From Shirley MacLaine's 2011 book I'm Over All That: And Other Confessions

Did You Know?

Back in the 14th century, a young man of fashion (or a ladies' man) was called a "gallant." By the late 1600s, "gallant" was being used as a verb to describe the process a paramour used to win a lady's heart; "to gallant" became a synonym of "to court." Etymologists think that the spelling of the verb "gallant" was altered to create "gallivant," which originally meant "to act as a gallant" or "to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex." Nowadays, however, "gallivant" is more likely to describe wandering than romancing.