gaul

gaul — noun

1. a member of the Celtic people who lived in parts of western Europe, especially w

1.nounB2
Definition

a member of the Celtic people who lived in parts of western Europe, especially what is now France and Belgium, from before the Roman period until the early Middle Ages.

Example

The museum exhibit showed how the Gauls lived before the Roman conquest of their territory.

the Gauls (plural: the people as a group)

Julius Caesar described the Gauls as fierce warriors who fought using long iron swords.

Common collocations
  • the Gauls
  • the ancient Gauls
  • the Gaul chieftain
  • the Gaul warriors
  • a Gaul village
Synonyms
  • Celt

    broader term covering all Celtic peoples across Europe, not only those in Gaul

  • Gallic people

    more formal or literary; "Gallic" is the adjective form from Gaul

Grammar Patterns

the Gauls (plural noun referring to the people as a group)

a Gaul (countable: one individual)

Common Mistakes

The Gauls lived in France' (anachronistic — France did not exist then).
The Gauls lived in the region that is now France.
Gaul was a historical region; the modern country of France formed centuries later.

2. (dated, often considered offensive) a person from France; a French person. The w

2.nounB2
Definition

(dated, often considered offensive) a person from France; a French person. The word was used especially during periods of conflict between Britain and France and is now old-fashioned.

Example

During the war, British soldiers sometimes referred to their French allies as 'the Gauls.'

informal register: 'the Gauls' used by soldiers

Yasmin found a travel book from 1895 that called French farmers 'hardworking Gauls.'

dated usage: found in old texts

Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

the Gauls = the French people (dated)

Usage Note

This sense is now old-fashioned and can be seen as offensive. Modern learners should use 'French person' or 'the French' instead. The term appeared most often in British English writing from the 17th to early 20th centuries, especially during wartime.

Common Mistakes

I met a Gaul in Paris last week.' (sounds like a time traveller).
I met a French person in Paris last week.
'Gaul' in this sense is no longer used in everyday conversation.

3. a historical region in western Europe that covered what is now France, Belgium,

3.nounB2
Definition

a historical region in western Europe that covered what is now France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany, especially during the time of the Roman Republic and Empire.

Example

Gaul was divided into three parts, according to the opening of Caesar's book about the war.

Gaul as proper noun — no article, singular

The Roman army controlled Gaul for nearly five hundred years, from 50 BC onward.

Common collocations
  • in Gaul
  • the conquest of Gaul
  • the tribes of Gaul
  • southern Gaul
  • Roman Gaul

Grammar Patterns

Gaul (proper noun, no article for the region; 'the Gauls' for the people)

Usage Note

Use 'Gaul' (no article) when referring to the region: 'The Romans conquered Gaul.' Use 'the Gauls' (with article, plural) when referring to the people. Do not confuse 'Gaul' with 'France' — Gaul is a broader historical territory that does not match modern borders exactly.

Common Mistakes

Napoleon was born in Gaul.' (anachronistic — Gaul was a Roman-era region).
Napoleon was born in Corsica, which was part of France.
Gaul ceased to exist as a political region after the Roman period.

Word family

  • Gaulish
    adjectiveC1
  • Gaulish
    nounC1
  • Gallic
    adjectiveB2
  • Gallicism
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Gaul' refers specifically to the Celtic people who lived in the region the Romans called Gallia (modern France, Belgium, and surrounding areas). 'Celt' is a much broader term covering all the ancient peoples who spoke Celtic languages, including those in Britain, Ireland, Iberia, and central Europe — a Gaelic speaker from Scotland is a Celt but not a Gaul. 'Gaulish' is primarily an adjective for the language or culture of the Gauls ('Gaulish pottery', 'the Gaulish language'), whereas 'a Gaul' is a person. 'Gallic people' is a slightly more formal or literary alternative to 'the Gauls' and is often used in historical writing. For example: 'The Gallic people of central Gaul fought fiercely against the Romans,' vs. 'The Celts as a whole shared certain religious practices across Europe.'

CeltGaulishGallic people

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the conquest of Gaul
  • the tribes of Gaul
  • the people of Gaul
  • Roman Gaul

Phrases

  • all Gaul
  • the invasion of Gaul
  • the borders of Gaul

Prepositions

  • in Gaul
  • of Gaul
  • from Gaul
  • across Gaul

Etymology

GaulishLatinFrenchEnglish

The English word 'Gaul' comes from French 'Gaule', which developed from the Latin 'Gallia', the name the Romans gave to the Celtic lands of western Europe. The Latin word may have been adopted from a Gaulish tribal name. The adjective 'Gallic' and noun 'Gaulish' followed the same path. The term has been used in English since the 1500s, first for the ancient people and later as a literary nickname for the French.

First known use

1625

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1