gallantry

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French galanterie,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} formed from galant (“gallant”) and the suffix -erie.^[2][6] Merriam-Webster takes it as partly formed in English from gallant and -ry.^[7] The French adjective is from Old French galant (“lively, merry; courteous”), the present participle of galer (“to make merry, enjoy oneself”),^[3][2] which is of uncertain origin;^[3] Etymonline mentions a possible source in Frankish *wala- (“good, well”), from Proto-Germanic *wal- and Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to wish, will”), though the sense development is unclear.^[3] Klein derived French galant instead from Spanish galante, galán, and linked it with gala.^[8] In French galanterie meant fine appearance from 1556, courtesy from 1578, bravery from 1611 and a polite remark to a woman from 1644.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Fine or showy appearance, splendour: 1572, in a treatise on treasons against Queen Elizabeth.^[2] Etymonline dates this sense to the 1590s,^[3] and the Oxford Dictionary of English to the late 16th century.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Middle English already had gallantness for merriment and high living in the late 15th century.^[3] Gallantry soon gathered the other senses of the French word: gallant people as a group (1589), as in Shakespeare's "all the gallantry of Troy";^[2][4][7][9] polite attention paid by a man to a woman (1605); refined manners (1608); and bravery, especially in battle (about 1608).^[2] Etymonline dates "gallant behaviour" to the 1630s and courtesy to women to the 1670s.^[3] From 1655 it also meant flirtation or an illicit love affair, a sense now archaic.^[2] Johnson (1755) gave splendour, bravery, a number of gallants, courtship of women, and "vicious love; lewdness".^[9] The sense of splendid appearance became archaic after the 18th century,^[2] and today the word means chiefly conspicuous courage, especially in war, and courtesy to women.^[10][7]

Timeline

• 1572 – fine or showy appearance, splendour.^[2]
• 1589 – gallant people collectively, fashionable people (obsolete by 1836).^[2]
• 1605 – polite attention paid by a man to a woman.^[2]
• c. 1608 – bravery, especially in battle.^[2]
• 1652 – a polite or gallant act or remark.^[2]
• 1655 – flirtatious or amorous behaviour; from 1670, a love affair.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Conspicuous courage, especially in war: The medal was awarded for gallantry under fire.^{[10][11][12][2]}
2. Courteous and attentive behaviour of a man towards women; chivalry.^{[10][11][12][2]}
3. A gallant act or speech.^{[10][11][12][2]}
4. (archaic) Amorous attention or pursuit; a love affair.^[11][2][9]
5. (archaic) Fine or showy appearance; splendour.^{[7][11][2][9]}
6. (obsolete, 1589–1836) Gallants as a group; fashionable people.^[7][2][4]

Related words

• gallant
• gala
• gallivant

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
9. ^ a b c d Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
10. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
11. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
12. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin