Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A festive occasion, especially a lavish social event or entertainment.
- n. Chiefly British An athletic competition, especially a swimming contest.
- adj. Marked by lavish or festive celebration: a gala ball after the inaugural ceremony.
- adj. Characterized by sumptuous social pleasure: the gala life of the very rich.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Festivity; festive show.
- n. A textile fabric made in Scotland.
- n. Festal attire; one's best clothes: as, to be in gala.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Pomp, show, or festivity.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a gay festivity
Etymologies
- Italian and French, both ultimately from Old French gale, rejoicing, from galer, to make merry; see gallant.
Examples
“Fey, who has won several Emmys for her writing and acting, has given the Twain gala's producers and writers plenty of skits and one-liners to work with.”
The Washington Post: Stars set to honor Tina Fey in Mark Twain Prize ceremony at Kennedy Center
“In addition to honoring student work, the College Television Awards gala is an opportunity for this talented group of students, and soon-to-be industry professionals, to meet and network with high-level Hollywood decision-makers.”
Twilight Lexicon » Peter Facinelli To Be a Presenter at Awards
“Its next U.S. gala is scheduled for June on the Mall.”
“Another fundraising gala is scheduled for September.”
“Sen. Frist's promise of not accepting money from lobbyists attending the World of Hope gala is virtually useless, as representatives from corporations do not have to be official lobbyists to be able to donate to a nonprofit such as Frist's.”
“In the midst of the enemy's camp-ground, underneath a temporary dance-house, are men and women in gala-day dress.”
“Just to remind: Three months away from its grand "gala" - on September 11th!!”
“The theme for the gala was the Ice Hotel, said Ms. Zuckerman Jacobson.”
The Wall Street Journal: In Aspen, Bringing Winter Into Summer
“And by the way, I recently discussed this long-ago debacle with Donya Hubby, who at the time of the gala was the Joffrey's publicity director; she has lately served as the U.S. company manager for the Royal Danish Ballet.”
“But, naturally, the gala, which is honoring Fran ois-Henry Bennahmias, the President and CEO of Audemars Piguet North America, which has a long standing relationship with the charity and the Terminator himself, was also an important event.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘gala’.
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old timey talk
Words or Sayings from the 1920's or whatever that no one really uses anymore (at least in that context).
scram, bearcat, heavens to betsy, dick, double-cross, ducky, gams, goofy, hooch, jalopy, john, joe and 174 more...
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Of Arabic Origin
Arabic loanwords in English are words acquired directly from Arabic or else indirectly by passing from Arabic into other languages and then into English. Most entered one or more of the Romance lan...
admiral, adobe, albatross, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alembic, alfalfa, algebra, algorism, algorithm, alidade and 181 more...
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food collection
bread, peel, pot, chorizo, Filet, olive, fill, Phyllo, dough, bake, mat, pinot and 988 more...
johnmperry Hardly a sacrifice not to eat meat for 40 days, particularly for those who couldn't afford it anyway! But this was more of a saying goodbye to the good times. After Lent, when the hens started laying again, was the time of Easter Eggs, well before Easter was hijacked by the Church. Jun 17, 2008
Prolagus :-) Jun 17, 2008
bard Well simply that "meat" or "flesh" is not usually associated with merry-go-rounds and ferris wheels... Giving up meat for Lent is a fairly traditional "sacrifice," but again, celebrating one's sacrifices seems a bit incongruous and dark for a child's entertainment. Of course back in the day, kiddies weren't protected from reality, so it was no big thing, just like gallows events. Disney has done horrible things to our children in shielding them from truth.
Then again, chili con carne is just not chili worth bothering with. *wink* Jun 17, 2008
Prolagus An alternative etymology is carnem levare, which basically means the same. Jun 17, 2008
johnmperry Where's the gruesomeness in carnival? That is from "carne vale" - goodbye to meat, at the start of Lent. Jun 17, 2008
bard Back in the good old days when public executions were common occurrences and even celebrations... this was originally a "gallows" event, which was shortened and eroded down to "gala" over time. A rather gruesome origin for such a cheerful term, rather like "carnival." Jun 17, 2008
frindley See galah for further pronunciation notes. Apr 9, 2008
reesetee Yes, it was a big secret until WeirdNet had to go and blab. ;-) Dec 17, 2007
uselessness I always thought this word should be pronounced "GAA luh" or maybe "GAH luh," but "GAY luh" sounded wrong to me. Then, WordNET cleared it up, and all is well again. Dec 16, 2007