英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

gallant [gallant 词源字典]: gallant: [14] Gallant originated as the present participle of Old French galer ‘make merry, rejoice’. This probably came from Gallo- Romance *walāre, a derivative of Frankish *wala ‘well’ (of which English well is a relative). Following its French model, the English adjective originally meant ‘showy, splendid, gorgeous’ as well as ‘spirited, brave’ and ‘courteous, polished’ (the last of which led in the 17th century to ‘courteously attentive to women’ and ‘amorous’). Regale [17] too goes back to Old French galer.
=> regale, well[gallant etymology, gallant origin, 英语词源]
courteous (adj.): mid-14c., earlier curteis (c. 1300), from Old French curteis (Modern French courtois) "having courtly bearing or manners," from curt "court" (see court (n.)) + -eis, from Latin -ensis.

Rare before c. 1500. In feudal society, also denoting a man of good education (hence the name Curtis). Medieval courts were associated with good behavior and also beauty; compare German hübsch "beautiful," from Middle High German hübesch "beautiful," originally "courteous, well-bred," from Old Franconian hofesch, from hof "court." Related: Courteously (mid-14c., kurteis-liche).
discourteous (adj.): 1560s; see dis- + courteous. Related: Discourteously.
polite (adj.): late 14c., "polished, burnished" (mid-13c. as a surname), from Latin politus "refined, elegant, accomplished," literally "polished," past participle of polire "to polish, to make smooth" (see polish (v.)). Used literally at first in English; sense of "elegant, cultured" is first recorded c. 1500, that of "behaving courteously" is 1748 (implied in politely). Related: Politeness.
salute (v.): late 14c., "to greet courteously and respectfully," earlier salue (c. 1300), from Latin salutare "to greet, pay respects," literally "wish health to," from salus (genitive salutis) "greeting, good health," related to salvus "safe" (see safe (adj.)). The military and nautical sense of "display flags, fire cannons, etc., as a mark of respect" is recorded from 1580s; specific sense of "raise the hand to the cap in the presence of a superior officer" is from 1844.
unkindly (adv.): c. 1200, "unsuitably, improperly," from un- (1) "not" + kindly (adv.). From mid-15c. as "discourteously, maliciously."