galère

noun

An undesirable, difficult, or burdensome situation.

OriginFrench galère ← Latin galea →
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Meanings

noungalère (plural galères)

plural galères

  1. literaryrareAn undesirable, difficult, or burdensome situation.
  2. broadlyA group of people regarded as troublesome or unwelcome.

Origin

  1. Latingalea
  2. Frenchgalère
  3. Englishgalère

Borrowed from French galère, from Latin galea (“galley”). Originally referred to a type of ship, then metaphorically to difficult situations or unpleasant groups of people.

More words from French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

galère. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gal%C3%A8re

MLA

“galère.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gal%C3%A8re. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “galère,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gal%C3%A8re.

Source: galère on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.