The meaning of GAUNTLET is a glove worn with medieval armor to protect the hand. How to use gauntlet in a sentence. Did you know?
/ ˈɡɔnt lət, ˈɡɑnt- / Add to word list a long thick glove (= covering for the hand), worn for protection (Definition of gauntlet from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
The word gauntlet used in the idiom to throw down the gauntlet comes from the Old French word gantelet, a diminutive of gant, "glove." (The idiom makes reference to the medieval custom of throwing down a glove in challenging an adversary to combat.)
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.
Definition of gauntlet noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Gauntlet definition: A protective glove, usually extending over some of the forearm, worn as part of medieval armor.
GAUNTLET definition: a medieval glove, as of mail or plate, worn by a knight in armor to protect the hand. See examples of gauntlet used in a sentence.
Clothing a glove with an extended, long cuff: a police officer's motorcycle gauntlets. Idioms take up the gauntlet, to accept a challenge to fight. Idioms throw down the gauntlet, to challenge someone to fight.