Gauntlet
/ˈɡɔːn.tlət/noun
A protective glove, especially one worn with armor; also, a severe trial or challenge.
Did you know?The phrase "run the gauntlet" comes from a military punishment in which a person had to pass between two rows of people striking them, turning a word for a glove into a symbol of ordeal.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
gauntlet
“A protective glove, especially a glove of armor or ceremony.”
Middle French
Old French
guantelet
“A small glove.”
Germanic
Frankish
*want
“Glove or hand covering.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wantaz
“Glove, hand covering.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wen-
“To weave or twist; the underlying source of a hand covering made by weaving.”