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.
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
"It made us laugh," said Gawain Towler, a former press adviser to Farage.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
