gauntlet English · revision 2445

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɡɔːnt.lət/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ There are two words.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995) The glove is [[inh|enm|gantelet]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995) [[bor|frm|gantelet]], a diminutive of ''gant'' “glove”,^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|frk|*want]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) The punishment, as in ''run the gauntlet'', is an alteration of earlier ''gantlope'' (1646),^(Barnhart 1995)^(AHD) [[bor|sv|gatlopp]], from ''gata'' “lane” and ''lopp'' “course”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995) probably picked up by English soldiers fighting alongside the Swedes in the Thirty Years' War.^(Barnhart 1995) The second word was gradually reshaped after the first.^(Barnhart 1995)^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ An armoured glove worn as part of medieval armour (about 1420).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In medieval custom a knight threw down his gauntlet as a challenge, and ''throw down the gauntlet'' is found in English by the 1540s.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) In the 19th century the word was applied to stout gloves with a flared cuff, used for driving or riding (1858).^(OED 1989) The other ''gauntlet'' first named a military punishment in which the offender ran between two rows of men who struck him (1661);^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989) it then came to mean any attack from all sides or a severe ordeal.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) The spelling ''gauntlet'' for both words was not fixed until the mid-1800s, and ''gantlet'' is still a variant for the second.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * about 1420 – a glove of medieval armour.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1548 – ''throw down the gauntlet'', to give a challenge.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1646 – ''gantlope'', the punishment of running between two rows of men.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1661 – ''run the gantlet'', literal and figurative.^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1858 – a stout glove for driving, riding or sport.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A protective glove worn with medieval armour.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A sturdy glove with a flared cuff, used in work, sports or driving.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A challenge, as in ''throw down the gauntlet''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A former punishment in which a person ran between two lines of men who beat him.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An attack from all sides, or a severe trial; an ordeal.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gauntleted]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gantlet]]

+ * [[gait]]

+ * [[lope]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The American Heritage Dictionary accepts the spelling ''gauntlet'' for both words, though ''gantlet'' is still used for the punishment.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}