noun

le gant

glove

Vêtement en tissu, cuir ou autre matière que l’on met sur la main pour la protéger ou la garder au chaud.

Definition & meaning

Gant is a masculine French noun meaning glove: a covering worn on the hand, usually with separate sections for the fingers.

un gant en cuir — a leather glove
mettre des gants — to put on gloves
enlever ses gants — to take off one’s gloves

It can also refer to a specialized glove used for a particular activity:

un gant de boxe — a boxing glove
un gant de toilette — a washcloth or flannel used for washing
une boîte à gants — a glove compartment in a car

Figuratively, gant can appear in the expression prendre des gants, meaning to handle a sensitive matter tactfully or to be diplomatic.

Grammar & Word origin

Gender: masculine
Singular: un gant
Plural: des gants
The final t is normally silent. The plural s is also silent.

The word comes from Old French gant, itself derived from a Germanic word meaning a covering for the hand. It is related to the word gantelet , meaning gauntlet or a protective armored glove.

Synonyms & antonyms

There is no exact general antonym for gant. Depending on the context, the contrasting idea may be main nue , meaning bare hand, or sans gants , meaning without gloves.

Related words include:

moufle — a mitten, which usually covers all the fingers together except the thumb. It is therefore a type of hand covering, but not a regular glove.
mitaine — a fingerless glove, leaving the fingertips exposed.
gantelet — a gauntlet or heavy protective glove, often associated with armor or specialized protection.

Common phrases & collocations

une paire de gants — a pair of gloves
des gants en cuir — leather gloves
des gants jetables — disposable gloves
porter des gants — to wear gloves
mettre des gants — to put on gloves
prendre des gants — to be tactful or diplomatic
à gants — with gloves; used especially in expressions such as travailler à gants in specialized contexts