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gantlet (n.)

"military punishment in which offender runs between rows of men who beat him in passing," 1640s, gantlope, gantelope, from Swedish gatlopp "passageway," from Old Swedish gata "lane" (see gate (n.)) + lopp "course," related to löpa "to run" (see leap (v.)). Probably borrowed by English soldiers during Thirty Years' War.

By normal evolution the Modern English form would be *gatelope, but the current spelling (first attested 1660s, not fixed until mid-19c.) is from influence of gauntlet (n.1) "a glove," "there being some vague association with 'throwing down the gauntlet' in challenge" [Century Dictionary].

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Definitions of gantlet from WordNet

gantlet (n.)
to offer or accept a challenge;
Synonyms: gauntlet
gantlet (n.)
a glove of armored leather; protects the hand;
Synonyms: gauntlet / metal glove
gantlet (n.)
a glove with long sleeve;
Synonyms: gauntlet
gantlet (n.)
the convergence of two parallel railroad tracks in a narrow place; the inner rails cross and run parallel and then diverge so a train remains on its own tracks at all times;
gantlet (n.)
a form of punishment in which a person is forced to run between two lines of men facing each other and armed with clubs or whips to beat the victim;
Synonyms: gauntlet
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near gantlet

gangster

gangway

ganja

gank

gannet

gantlet

gantry

Ganymede

gaol

gaoler

gap