Gawain
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of Gawain
From Old French Gauvain, Gavain, from Medieval Latin Galvaginus, Gwalguanus, often considered to be a corruption of Welsh Gwalchmei, perhaps from gwalch “hawk” ( cf. Galahad ( def. )) and a second element of uncertain origin, possibly either maes “field” + Mai May ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I don't think he has much political sway in Britain or on the continent," says Gawain Towler, a former Reform UK director of communications who still supports the party.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The death of King Arthur is caused by a blood feud between two of his foremost knights, Lancelot and Gawain, who had once been close friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Valeska Paris and husband and wife Gawain and Laura Baxter, who filed the complaint in April, left the church’s military-style workforce called the Sea Org in 2009 and 2012, respectively.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2022
You’re less likely to have seen the tale of Arthur’s nephew Gawain — the subject of the anonymous 14th-century poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” — on the big screen.
From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2022
"This is actually a rare and valuable artifact passed down for generations. Lancelot used it, so did Sir Gawain, and for a time the Black Knight kept it on a chain next to his heart."
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
