What does gauntlet mean?
Word: Gauntlet
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Gauntlet means a strong glove with a long, wide cuff, once part of a knight's armour; today also a thick protective glove for work.
Synonyms: glove
How do you spell gauntlet?
Syllables: gaunt - let
Tricky part: The vowel sound aw is written au, and students swap it to ua (guantlet).
Watch out for: guantlet, gaunlet, gawntlet
Memory tip: Launch and gauntlet write the aw sound the same way, a then u: a knight would launch a challenge by throwing down his gauntlet.
Idioms and Phrases
- throw down the gauntlet: To challenge someone. Example: "The champions threw down the gauntlet by inviting any school to play them."
- run the gauntlet: To face a lot of criticism or questions from many people at once. Example: "The actor had to run the gauntlet of reporters outside the hotel."
Gauntlet in a sentence
Example 1: The museum displays a knight's steel gauntlet beside his helmet.
Example 2: The beekeeper pulled on long leather gauntlets before opening the hive.
Example 3: A single rusty gauntlet was found buried near the old castle wall.
Fun Fact
Gauntlet, the glove, comes from an Old French word for a little glove. The gauntlet in run the gauntlet is a different word, from Swedish gatlopp, a passage run, which was changed to look like the glove word.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. goggels 2. overalls 3. apron 4. gauntlet
a) a cloth worn over the front of clothes to keep them clean
b) a one-piece garment worn over clothes for messy work
c) a long, thick glove that covers the wrist
d) glasses that fit closely to protect the eyes
Show answer
d) glasses that fit closely to protect the eyes. Goggles ends in les, like giggles, so goggels is the one spelt wrongly.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The falconer wore a thick leather tlaguten so the eagle could perch safely on his arm.
a) gallant
b) garnet
c) gauntlet
d) gullet
Show answer
c) gauntlet. The jumble holds a u and an n and two t's: only gauntlet has them all.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letter to form a word:
gauntl_t
a) e
b) o
c) i
d) a
Show answer
a) e. The glove word ends in let, so e fills the gap.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
At the village craft fair, a blaksmith showed the children how a gauntlet keeps a worker's fingers safe from sparks and hot metal.
a) gauntlet
b) children
c) blaksmith
d) sparks
Show answer
c) blaksmith. Black keeps its c before the k; gauntlet is spelt correctly here.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A knight wore a gauntlet on his ____.
a) foot
b) chest
c) hand
d) head
Show answer
c) hand
2. Which modern worker is most likely to wear gauntlets?
a) a tailor
b) a newsreader
c) a librarian
d) a welder
Show answer
d) a welder
