Gauls
/ɡɔːlz/noun
A group of ancient Celtic peoples who lived in Gaul, roughly modern France and neighboring regions.
Did you know?The English word Gaul comes through Latin from a Celtic tribal name, and ancient Roman writers used it for a whole region whose people were seen as the dangerous, foreign edge of the civilized world.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic
PCelt
*gallos
“stranger; foreigner”
Ancient Latin
Latin
Gallī
“the Gauls; the Celtic inhabitants of Gaul”
Classical Greek
Greek
Γαλάται (Galátai)
“the Gauls; Celtic peoples”
Old French
Old French
Gaule
“Gaul; the land of the Gauls”
Middle English
English
Gaules
“the Gauls; ancient Celtic people”
Modern English
English
Gauls
“the ancient Celtic peoples of Gaul”