Etymograph

English

gallant

Gallant comes from Old French galant ‘courteous’, and goes back to galer ‘to rejoice’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400galer‘to rejoice’
  2. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400galant‘courteous’present participle of galer
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1595gallant

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history not traced here.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400galer‘to rejoice’
  2. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400galant‘courteous’present participle of galer
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  4. Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1595gallant

Earliest quotation: c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet: “That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds.”

The story

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’).disputed Scholars disagree here; the competing view is quoted as the source gives it.

Every English word from Old French galer

Another origin of gallant

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wel(h₁)-‘to choose, wish’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wela‘well’uncertain
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*wala‘well’uncertain
  4. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*gualareuncertain
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400galer‘to have fun’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentgalant
  7. Englishtodaygallant

Today it means

adj Brave, valiant, courteous, especially with regard to male attitudes towards women.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Old French galer / gallant

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