gallivant

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2011 is: gallivant • \GAL-uh-vant\  • verb 1 : to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex 2 : to travel, roam, or move about for pleasure Examples: After graduating from college, Maureen spent a year gallivanting all over Europe before coming back home to find a job. "I never was one to gallivant around in order to be seen. I was much more interested in looking." -- From Shirley MacLaine's 2011 book I'm Over All That: And Other Confessions Did you know? Back in the 14th century, a young man of fashion (or a ladies' man) was called a "gallant." By the late 1600s, "gallant" was being used as a verb to describe the process a paramour used to win a lady's heart; "to gallant" became a synonym of "to court." Etymologists think that the spelling of the verb "gallant" was altered to create "gallivant," which originally meant "to act as a gallant" or "to go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex." Nowadays, however, "gallivant" is more likely to describe wandering than romancing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.