gala

Meaning

Adj

Celebratory; festive.

Noun

1. Pomp, show, or festivity.
2. A competition
3. A showy and festive party.
4. A red-skinned variety of eating apple.

Noun

A member of an androgynous class of priests of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

Synonyms

festival

affair

festivity

festive

ceremonial

gala affair

banquet

blowout

celebration

holiday

jamboree

dance

💃

fete

fiesta

formal

function

grand

happy

😀

solemnity

ball

jubilee

party

🥳

prom

show

showy

solemn

feast

dinner

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡɑːlə/

Etymology

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”).