gauntlet

== English == === Alternative forms === gantlet (US) === Etymology 1 === From Middle English gauntelett, gantlett, a borrowing from Old French gantelet (“gauntlet worn by a knight in armor, a token of one's personality or person, and symbolizing a challenge”), diminutive of gant (“glove”), a borrowing from Frankish *want (“glove; mitten”) and reinforced by Medieval Latin wantus (“glove”) itself borrowed from the former, from Proto-Germanic *wantuz (“glove; mitten”). Cognate with Dutch want (“mitten; shroud”), German Low German Want (“shroud”), Danish vante (“mitten”), Swedish vante (“glove; mitten”), Faroese vøttur (“glove; mitten”). ==== Pronunciation ==== enPR: gônt’lət, IPA(key): /ˈɡɔːnt.lət/ ==== Noun ==== gauntlet (plural gauntlets) Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat. Coordinate term: manifer A long glove covering the wrist. (nautical) A rope on which hammocks or clothes are hung for drying. (medicine) An eruption of pellagra on the hands. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== Gauntlet (glove) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Etymology 2 === Modified, under the influence of etymology 1, from gantlope, from Swedish gatlopp (“passageway”), from Old Swedish gata (“lane”) + lopp (“course”), from löpa (“to run”) ==== Noun ==== gauntlet (plural gauntlets) (archaic) Two parallel rows of attackers who strike at a criminal as punishment. A simultaneous attack from two or more sides. (figuratively) Any challenging, difficult, or painful ordeal, often one performed for atonement or punishment. (video games) A fight against swarms of relatively minor enemies in the form of multiple waves, often but not always preceding a boss. (rail transport) Overlapping parallel rail tracks; either to allowing passage through a narrow opening in each direction without switching, or to allow vehicles of a larger gauge to pass through a station without hitting the platforms. ===== Derived terms ===== gauntleted running the gauntlet (having to run between rows of attackers as a punishment) run the gauntlet (submit to a series of difficult tests) ===== Translations =====