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Ga·la (gālə, gălə, gälə)
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n.
A variety of apple with crisp fruit that has yellow skin streaked with red.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
ga·la (gālə, gălə, gälə)
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n.
1. A festive occasion, especially a lavish social event or entertainment.
2. Chiefly British An athletic competition, especially a swimming contest.
adj.
1. Marked by lavish or festive celebration: a gala ball after the inaugural ceremony.
2. Characterized by sumptuous social pleasure: the gala life of the very rich.

[Italian and French, both ultimately from Old French gale, rejoicing, from galer, to make merry; see GALLANT.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.