gallant Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance
    dandy; clotheshorse; fop; beau; swell; dude; sheik; fashion plate.
  2. noun a man who attends or escorts a woman
    squire.
  3. adjective satellite unflinching in battle or action
    • a gallant warrior
    • put up a gallant resistance to the attackers
  4. adjective satellite lively and spirited
    dashing.
    • a dashing hero
  5. adjective satellite having or displaying great dignity or nobility
    majestic; proud; lofty.
    • a gallant pageant
    • lofty ships
    • majestic cities
    • proud alpine peaks
  6. adjective satellite being attentive to women like an ideal knight
    chivalrous; knightly.

WordNet

Gal"lant adjective
Etymology
F. gallant, prop. p. pr. of OF. galer to rejoice, akin to OF. gale amusement, It. gala ornament; of German origin; cf. OHG. geil merry, luxuriant, wanton, G. geil lascivious, akin to AS. gl wanton, wicked, OS. gl merry, Goth. gailjan to make to rejoice, or perh. akin to E. weal. See Gala, Galloon.
Definitions
  1. Showy; splendid; magnificent; gay; well-dressed.
    The town is built in a very gallant place. Evelyn.
    Our royal, good and gallant ship. Shak.
  2. Noble in bearing or spirit; brave; high-spirited; courageous; heroic; magnanimous; as, a gallant youth; a gallant officer.
    That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds. Shak.
    The gay, the wise, the gallant, and the grave. Waller.
    Syn. -- Gallant, Courageous, Brave. Courageous is generic, denoting an inward spirit which rises above fear; brave is more outward, marking a spirit which braves or defies danger; gallant rises still higher, denoting bravery on extraordinary occasions in a spirit of adventure. A courageous man is ready for battle; a brave man courts it; a gallant man dashes into the midst of the conflict.
Gal*lant" adjective
Definitions
  1. Polite and attentive to ladies; courteous to women; chivalrous.
Gal*lant" noun
Definitions
  1. A man of mettle or spirit; a gay; fashionable man; a young blood. Shak.
  2. One fond of paying attention to ladies.
  3. One who wooes; a lover; a suitor; in a bad sense, a seducer. Addison. ✍ In the first sense it is by some orthoëpists (as in Shakespeare) accented on the first syllable.
Gal*lant" transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Gallanted; present participle & verbal noun Gallanting
Definitions
  1. To attend or wait on, as a lady; as, to gallant ladies to the play.
  2. To handle with grace or in a modish manner; as, to gallant a fan. Obs. Addison.

Webster 1913