gallant

noun

gal·lant | \ gə-ˈlant

, gə-ˈlänt

, ˈga-lənt

Definition of gallant

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : a young man of fashion

2a : ladies' man

b : suitor

c : paramour

gallant

adjective

gal·lant | \ ˈga-lənt (usually in sense 2)

; gə-ˈlant

, gə-ˈlänt (usually in sense 3)

Definition of gallant (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : showy in dress or bearing : smart

2a : splendid, stately a gallant ship

b : spirited, brave gallant efforts against the enemy

c : nobly chivalrous and often self-sacrificing

3 : courteously and elaborately attentive especially to ladies

gallant

verb

gal·lant | \ gə-ˈlant

, -ˈlänt

gallanted; gallanting; gallants

Definition of gallant (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : to pay court to (a lady) : attend used to gallant her in his youth— Washington Irving

2 obsolete : to manipulate (a fan) in a modish manner

intransitive verb

: to pay court to ladies

Gallant

biographical name

Gal·lant | \ ga-ˈlant

Definition of Gallant (Entry 4 of 4)

Mavis 1922–2014 originally Mavis de Trafford Young Canadian-French writer

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Choose the Right Synonym for gallant

Adjective

civil, polite, courteous, gallant, chivalrous mean observant of the forms required by good breeding. civil often suggests little more than the avoidance of overt rudeness. owed the questioner a civil reply polite commonly implies polish of speech and manners and sometimes suggests an absence of cordiality. if you can't be pleasant, at least be polite courteous implies more actively considerate or dignified politeness. clerks who were unfailingly courteous to customers gallant and chivalrous imply courteous attentiveness especially to women. gallant suggests spirited and dashing behavior and ornate expressions of courtesy. a gallant suitor of the old school chivalrous suggests high-minded and self-sacrificing behavior. a chivalrous display of duty

Did You Know?

Adjective

In the late 14th century, Middle English adopted "galaunt" (now spelled "gallant") from Middle French galant, a participial form of the verb galer, meaning "to have a good time." This origin is more apparent in the earliest uses of the English "gallant," both as a noun meaning "a man of fashion" and as an adjective meaning "marked by show, color, smartness, or splendor especially in dress." French galer is related to "gale" ("pleasure, merrymaking") which has also entered the language, by way of Italian, as "gala" ("a festive celebration"). Middle English also had a noun "gale" which meant "singing, merriment, or mirth" (and is unrelated to the "gale" used to indicate a strong current of air) which may also have been related to Old French gale.

Examples of gallant in a Sentence

Noun

he was quite a gallant, primping more than either of his sisters she had a whole host of gallants vying for her hand in marriage

Adjective

The defenders of the fort made a gallant stand. They failed to reach the summit, but they made a gallant attempt. He greeted her with a gallant bow. He offered her his seat in a gallant gesture.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The 2018 court included promenade girls, gallants, demoiselles, jewel-bearers and the queen. — Sue Strachan, NOLA.com, "New Orleans Spring Fiesta welcomes the season with promenade, presentation," 1 Apr. 2018 Housewives surrendered their gold jewelry in a gallant, but futile attempt to restore the nation’s solvency. — Michael Schuman, Bloomberg.com, "What South Korea’s 1997 Meltdown Can Teach China in 2017," 29 June 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Ever gallant, Chip Rosen provided champagne for the luncheon to thank Les Dames for their support during his two year term as president of Timberlane Country Club. — Helen Williams, nola.com, "Timberlane commission stays busy to protect future of country club," 14 June 2019 Often just as gallant were those already on French soil, who had endured years of a crushing occupation, but who also played their part in securing the Allied victory. — Sonia Purnell, Twin Cities, "Sonia Purnell: What D-Day teaches us about the difficulty – and importance – of resistance," 6 June 2019 Over the decades, many gallant Chinese have spoken up for individual rights and government accountability, but Liu stood out for his systematic critique of China’s government, as well as his moderation and advocacy of nonviolent protest. — Ian Johnson, The New York Review of Books, "Ian Johnson," 9 May 2019 The gallant Galahad of legend sought the Holy Grail. — Jill Tucker, SFChronicle.com, "Headed to Stanford, SF immigrant teen found American dream on steroids," 4 June 2019 Croatia secured first place in Group D on Tuesday after a hard-fought 2-1 win over gallant Iceland in Rostov, setting up a last-16 tie with Denmark. — Peter Murphy, chicagotribune.com, "Iceland crash out of World Cup after Croatia loss," 26 June 2018 The local team made a gallant stand against the visitors. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "We may be champions now, but ice hockey got off to a rough start in Washington," 11 June 2018 The first division of the Albany, which goes as the seventh, features My Friend Emma, who ran a gallant second in the Grade 3 All American Stakes two weeks ago. — John Cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! Count Fleet comes in at No. 4 in Triple Crown ratings," 7 June 2018 The crowd in liberal San Jose went wild as Newsom struck a gallant pose, and like-minded liberals cited this quote on social media, which is precisely what's wrong with this picture. — Marcos Bretón, sacbee, "Translating Newsom doubletalk: We don't celebrate diversity, we avoid talking about it | The Sacramento Bee," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gallant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for gallant

Noun

Middle English galaunt, gallaunt, borrowed from Middle French, noun derivative of galant gallant entry 2

Adjective

Middle English galaunt, borrowed from Middle French galant, from present participle of galer "to squander in pleasures, have a good time, enjoy oneself," going back to Old French, going back to Gallo-Romance *walāre, derivative of Old Low Franconian *wala "well, with good appearance or effect," going back to Germanic *welō — more at well entry 3

Verb

derivative of gallant entry 2

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