English word origin

Etymology of gala

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Pomp, show, or festivity. · A competition. · A showy and festive party. · A red-skinned variety of eating apple.

adj

Celebratory; festive.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French gala, or directly from that word's etymon, which is either Italian gala, or Spanish gala, both meaning "festive occasion", and derived from Old French gale (“rejoicing”). (The French word likely kept the final -a to avoid homophony with gale (“scabies”).) Ultimately cognate to gallant and hence probably from Frankish *wala (“good, well”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentiongalafr
Derivation mentiongalait
Derivation mentiongalaes
Derivation mentiongalefro · rejoicing

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "gala"
      },
      "expansion": "French gala"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "gala"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian gala"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "gala"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish gala"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "gale",
        "t": "rejoicing"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French gale (“rejoicing”)"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "gala",
      "gala#French"
    ],
    [
      "etymon",
      "etymon"
    ],
    [
      "gala",
      "gala#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "gala",
      "gala#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "gale",
      "gale#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "gale",
      "gale#French"
    ],
    [
      "gallant",
      "gallant#English"
    ],
    [
      "*wala",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/wala"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Pomp, show, or festivity.",
        "A competition.",
        "A showy and festive party.",
        "A red-skinned variety of eating apple."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "countable"
      ],
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    },
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      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Celebratory; festive."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A member of an androgynous class of priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Learned borrowing from Sumerian 𒍑𒆪 (gala), related to Akkadian 𒍑𒆪 (kalû). A connection to the similar Phrygian and Roman priests of Cybele called gallae or galli has been suggested, but evidence is lacking.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Learned-borrowing mention𒍑𒆪sux
Cognate mention𒍑𒆪akk

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "+ (priests)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sux",
        "3": "𒍑𒆪",
        "tr": "gala"
      },
      "expansion": "Learned borrowing from Sumerian 𒍑𒆪 (gala)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "akk",
        "2": "𒍑𒆪",
        "tr": "kalû"
      },
      "expansion": "Akkadian 𒍑𒆪 (kalû)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Inanna",
      "Inanna"
    ],
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    ],
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      "𒍑𒆪#Akkadian"
    ],
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      "gallae#Latin"
    ],
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      "galli",
      "galli#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A member of an androgynous class of priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for gala →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Z2FsYQ