galliard

or gail·lard

[ gal-yerd ]

/ ˈgæl yərd /

Save This Word!

noun

a spirited dance for two dancers in triple rhythm, common in the 16th and 17th centuries.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of galliard

1525–35; <Middle French gaillard, noun use of adj.: lively, vigorous (>Middle English gaillard,late Middle English galyarde), probably <Gallo-Romance *galia<Celtic (compare MIr gal warlike ardor, valor); see -ard

Words nearby galliard

galley-west, gallfly, Gallia, galliambic, Galliano, galliard, gallic, gallic acid, Gallican, Gallicanism, Gallice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use galliard in a sentence

O de brave, de galliard devise: me sal come by de nite and contrefaire de Anglois gentlehommes—dites-nous ainsi, Monsieur Pisaro?
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 10 (of 15)|Various
For how knew I what name you might be dancing your latest galliard in?
Judith Shakespeare|William Black
The queen was delighted with the little dwarf, and made him dance a galliard on her left hand.
Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
He called it, what his temper gave no hint of (so dry with fever he was), the galliard hold.
The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay|Maurice Hewlett

This dance was livelier exercise than La Galliard, and Mary could not talk much for lack of breath.
When Knighthood Was in Flower|Charles Major

British Dictionary definitions for galliard

galliard

/ (ˈɡæljəd) /

noun

a spirited dance in triple time for two persons, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries

a piece of music composed for this dance

adjective

archaic lively; spirited

Word Origin for galliard

C14: from Old French gaillard valiant, perhaps of Celtic origin

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