Where does “gala” come from?
gala (Polish) comes from French gala, from Spanish gala, from Old Spanish gala, from Old French gale, from Old French galer, from Old French galle, from Latin galla, from Gaulish gallā — to flourish; green, yellow.
Ancestry of “gala”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | gala | third-person singular past historic of galer |
| 2 | Spanish | gala | feminine singular of galo; gala; elegant dress,... |
| 3 | Old Spanish | gala | — |
| 4 | Old French | gale | pomp; show; festivity; mirth; rejoicing |
| 5 | Old French | galer | to rub; to scratch; to have fun; to enjoy oneself |
| 6 | Old French | galle | — |
| 7 | Latin | galla | the oak apple, gall-nut; a harsh, sour kind of... |
| 8 | Gaulish | gallā | vessel |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | gallǭ | gall, bile |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰelh₃- | to flourish; green, yellow |