- a metal glove worn as part of a suit of armour by soldiers in the Middle Ages
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- a strong glove that covers and protects the hand and wrist, used for example when driving
- motorcyclists with leather gauntlets
Word Originsenses 1 to 2 and take up/throw down the gauntlet. late Middle English: from Old French gantelet, diminutive of gant ‘glove’, of Germanic origin. run the gauntlet. mid 17th cent.: alteration of gantlope (from Swedish gatlopp, from gata ‘lane’ + lopp ‘course’) by association with gauntlet ‘glove’.
Idioms
See gauntlet in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryrun the gauntlet
- to be criticized or attacked by a lot of people, especially a group of people that you have to walk through
- Some of the witnesses had to run the gauntlet of television cameras and reporters.
take up the gauntlet
- to accept somebody’s invitation to fight or compete
- His Republican rival may be expected to take up the gauntlet.
throw down the gauntlet
- to invite somebody to fight or compete with you
- She has thrown down the gauntlet to the newspaper by accusing it of libel.
Check pronunciation:
gauntlet