Gawain

American  

[gah-win, gaw-] / ˈgɑ wɪn, ˈgɔ- /

noun

1. Arthurian Legend. one of the knights of the Round Table: a nephew of King Arthur.

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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” ( Galahad ( def. ) ) and a second element of uncertain origin, possibly either maes “field” + Mai May ( def. )

Example Sentences

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

He is perhaps best known for 1971 orchestral work The Triumph of Time, as well as operas The Mask Of Orpheus, Gawain and The Minotaur.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2022

This aesthetically pleasing adaptation from the filmmaker David Lowery stars Dev Patel as Gawain, who goes on a quest to hunt down a giant.

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