What does gallant mean?
Word: Gallant
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Gallant means brave and determined, especially when things are hard.
Synonyms: courageous
Word origin: From Old French galer.
How do you spell gallant?
Syllables: gal - lant
Tricky part: The ending is the trap. The last vowel is so faint that students cannot hear it and write an e.
Watch out for: gallent, gallint
Memory tip: Imagine one brave ant carrying a leaf ten times its size: a truly gallant ant.
Gallant in a sentence
Example 1: Our goalkeeper made a gallant effort, diving for every shot in the final.
Example 2: The small school put up a gallant show against the state champions.
Example 3: In spite of the pouring rain, the gallant cyclists finished all eighty kilometres.
Fun Fact
Long before it meant brave, gallant described people who dressed in showy, fashionable clothes.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) galaxy
b) galant
c) gallery
d) gallon
Show answer
b) galant. Like gallery and gallon this word needs two l's; galaxy is the one with a single l.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option to complete the sentence:
Gallant comes from the Old French verb galer, which meant ___.
a) to stand firm
b) to speak out
c) to make merry
d) to march ahead
Show answer
c) to make merry. The word began with fun and fine show; the sense of courage came later.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their opposites:
1. gallant 2. diligent 3. humble a. idle b. timid c. arrogant
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
Show answer
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. A timid person holds back, an idle one avoids work, and an arrogant one is anything but humble.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
Despite a stiff breeze, the gallant crew from Kochi kept rowing to the finish, and the delighted spectaters cheered their perseverence.
a) 2
b) 4
c) 1
d) 3
Show answer
a) 2. Spectators ends in ors, and perseverance ends in ance.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What makes a last-place runner's effort gallant?
a) she knows all the other runners
b) she keeps going when it is hard
c) she wears the smartest running kit
d) she arrived early at the track
Show answer
b) she keeps going when it is hard
2. Which word could replace gallant in the phrase 'a gallant attempt to win'?
a) spirited
b) secret
c) careless
d) hurried
Show answer
a) spirited
