Do you speak a little French when you say 'gallop'?

'Gallop' is a word borrowed from French 'galoper'. The word entered the English language some time around 1523.

gallop [noun] [1523]

• a bounding gait of a quadruped
• a fast natural 3-beat gait of the horse
• a ride or run at a gallop
• a stretch of land suitable for horses

See 'gallop' on the Loan Words Map

See more loan words from French.

note: From Old French galoper (to gallop) which likely originated from a Frankish compound wala hlaupan (to run well) from Germanic elements: wala (well) and hlaupan (to run/leap).
Etymology: Middle French 'galop'

See more loan words from 1500s.