gala

gala · adjective, noun¹

1. Old French · derived fromgale“rejoicing”
2. Spanish · derived fromgala
3. Italian · derived fromgala
4. French · derived fromgala
5. English todaygala

From French gala, or directly from that word's etymon, which is either Italian gala, or Spanish gala, both meaning "festive occasion", and derived from Old French gale (“rejoicing”). (The French word likely kept the final -a to avoid homophony with gale (“scabies”).) Ultimately cognate to gallant and hence probably from Frankish *wala (“good, well”).

gala · noun²

1. Sumerian · learned borrowing from𒍑𒆪
2. English todaygala

Learned borrowing from Sumerian 𒍑𒆪 (gala), related to Akkadian 𒍑𒆪 (kalû). A connection to the similar Phrygian and Roman priests of Cybele called gallae or galli has been suggested, but evidence is lacking.

Gala · proper noun³

Clipping of Galashiels.

Gala · proper noun⁴

1. Turkish · borrowed fromGala
2. English todayGala

From Turkish Gala.