Where does “gala” come from?
gala (Old Spanish) comes from Old French gale, from Old French galer, from Old French galle, from Latin galla, from Gaulish gallā, from Proto-Germanic gallǭ, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- — to flourish; green, yellow.
Ancestry of “gala”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | gale | pomp; show; festivity; mirth; rejoicing |
| 2 | Old French | galer | to rub; to scratch; to have fun; to enjoy oneself |
| 3 | Old French | galle | — |
| 4 | Latin | galla | the oak apple, gall-nut; a harsh, sour kind of... |
| 5 | Gaulish | gallā | vessel |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gallǭ | gall, bile |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰelh₃- | to flourish; green, yellow |