gallivant

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɡæl.ɪ.vænt/ (UK); /ˈɡæl.ɪ.vænt/, /ˌɡæl.əˈvænt/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is of uncertain origin,^[2] perhaps a humorous alteration of gallant in its old verb sense “to play the gallant, flirt, gad about”.^{[3][4][2][5][6]} The American Heritage Dictionary suggests the influence of levant “to run away to avoid paying debts”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To gad about in pursuit of pleasure, especially with the opposite sex (1809 in Etymonline;^[2] 1819 in Barnhart;^[4] 1823 in the OED and Merriam-Webster).^[7][5]

Semantic evolution

The word first implied flirting or roaming with the opposite sex,^[7][2][5] as in an 1809 song in which a wife accuses her husband of going off “to gallivant”.^[2] It is now used more generally of roaming about for pleasure.^[3][5][6][1]

Timeline

• 1608 – gallant, verb, to play the gallant.^[4][7]
• 1809 – gallivant.^[2]
• 1823 – recorded in the OED.^[7][5]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To roam about in search of pleasure or amusement; to gad.
2. To go about with members of the opposite sex; to flirt.

Word family

• gallivanter

Related words

• gallant

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
4. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press