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

See Examples For:

galant

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

I don't care what they say about him, c'est un galant homme! and the place would be very dull without him.”

From The Span o' Life A Tale of Louisbourg & Quebec by McIlwraith, Jean Newton

I found then that he was not the galant homme I had thought him, but something quite different.

From The Black Moth A Romance of the XVIIIth Century by Heyer, Georgette

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

Well then, somehow or other I have the notion that Captain Anthony is what the French call un galant homme. 

From Chance A Tale in Two Parts by Conrad, Joseph