English
gauntlet
Gauntlet comes from Old French gantelet ‘gauntlet worn by a knight in armor, a token of…’, and goes back to Frankish *want ‘glove’.
- Frankishc. 250–700*want‘glove’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400gantelet‘gauntlet worn by a knight in armor, a token of one's personality or person’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gauntelett
- Englishearliest quotation 1786gauntlet
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Frankishc. 250–700*want‘glove’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400gantelet‘gauntlet worn by a knight in armor, a token of one's personality or person’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gauntelett
- Englishearliest quotation 1786gauntlet
Earliest quotation: 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons: “The hands were defended by Gauntlets, these were sometimes…”
Every English word from Frankish *want
Today it means
noun Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Frankish *want / gauntlet