galant

British  

/ ɡəˈlɑːnt /

noun

1. an 18th-century style of music characterized by homophony and elaborate ornamentation

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Etymology

Origin of galant

C17: from Old French galant, from galer to make merry, from gale enjoyment, pleasure

Example Sentences

Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia probably make these galant symphonies sound weightier than Mozart intended, but theirs is an impeccable performance: every strand of melody is spun out and polished to a high luster.

From Time Magazine Archive

Well, she deserves it for marrying a vieux galant like that!

From The Adventures of a Widow A Novel by Fawcett, Edgar

There has never been a galant homme among us, I fear, who has not given his wife, even when she was very charming, the right to be jealous.

From Madame De Mauves by James, Henry

We have still: ‘Morisco gowns, Barbarian sleeves, Polonian shoes, with divers far fetcht trifles; Such as the wandering English galant rifles Strange countries for.’

From English Costume by Calthrop, Dion Clayton

It contains this important intelligence: "Madam la Comtesse de Grammont accoucha hier au soir d'un fils beau comme la m�re, et galant comme le p�re."

From Notes and Queries, Number 211, November 12, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Bell, George