gala
/ˈɡælə/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.67 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
noun
A competition.
noun
A red-skinned variety of eating apple.
noun
A type of apple, a cross-pollination between Kidd's Orange Red and Golden Delicious.
Example Sentences
- "a swimming gala"
- "(6) Some galas/kalûs are mentioned in Pre-Sargonic and Old Babylonian texts in connection with classes of women, maids, and ḫarimtu-women. (7) The gala is sometimes mentioned in the same context with other functionaries […]"
Etymology
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”).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɡælə/
- British English: /ˈɡɑːlə/