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gauntlet

1
[ gawnt-lit, gahnt- ]
/ ˈgɔnt lɪt, ˈgɑnt- /
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See synonyms for: gauntlet / gauntleted / gauntleting on Thesaurus.com
noun
a medieval glove, as of mail or plate, worn by a knight in armor to protect the hand.
a glove with an extended cuff for the wrist.
the cuff itself.
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Idioms about gauntlet

    take up the gauntlet / glove,
    1. to accept a challenge to fight: He was always willing to take up the gauntlet for a good cause.
    2. to show one's defiance.
    throw down the gauntlet / glove,
    1. to challenge.
    2. to defy.

Origin of gauntlet

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English gauntelet, gauntlet, from Old French gantelet, diminutive of gant “glove,” from Germanic want- (unrecorded); compare Old Norse vǫttr

OTHER WORDS FROM gauntlet

gaunt·let·ed, adjectiveun·gaunt·let·ed, adjective

Words nearby gauntlet

Gaultier, gaum, gaumless, gaun, gaunt, gauntlet, gauntry, gaup, gaur, Gause's law, Gause's principle

Other definitions for gauntlet (2 of 2)

gauntlet2
[ gawnt-lit, gahnt- ]
/ ˈgɔnt lɪt, ˈgɑnt- /
noun Also gantlet (for defs. 1, 2, 4) .
a former punishment, chiefly military, in which the offender was made to run between two rows of men who struck at him with switches or weapons as he passed.
the two rows of men administering this punishment.
an attack from two or all sides.
trying conditions; an ordeal.
gantlet1 (def. 1).
verb (used with object)
gantlet1 (def. 3).

Origin of gauntlet

2
First recorded in 1670–80; alteration of gantlope
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to gauntlet

armor, challenge, glove, onslaught, test, trial

How to use gauntlet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gauntlet (1 of 2)

gauntlet1

gantlet

/ (ˈɡɔːntlɪt) /
noun
a medieval armoured leather glove
a heavy glove with a long cuff
take up the gauntlet to accept a challenge
throw down the gauntlet to offer a challenge

Word Origin for gauntlet

C15: from Old French gantelet, diminutive of gant glove, of Germanic origin

British Dictionary definitions for gauntlet (2 of 2)

gauntlet2
/ (ˈɡɔːntlɪt) /
noun
a punishment in which the victim is forced to run between two rows of men who strike at him as he passes: formerly a military punishment
run the gauntlet
  1. to suffer this punishment
  2. to endure an onslaught or ordeal, as of criticism
a testing ordeal; trial
a variant spelling of gantlet 1 (def. 1)

Word Origin for gauntlet

C15: changed (through influence of gauntlet 1) from earlier gantlope; see gantlet 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with gauntlet

gauntlet

see run the gauntlet; throw down the gauntlet.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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