gallant
adj.brave and heroic, especially in a difficult situation. It also describes a man who is very polite and helpful toward women.
adj.characterised by bravery and nobility of spirit; also describes chivalrous and attentive behaviour by a man toward women. Often carries a literary or historical tone.
“The gallant soldier saved his friends from the fire.”
“Despite the overwhelming odds, the small group made a gallant attempt to defend the bridge.”
“The knight was remembered in local folklore as a gallant protector of the weak, though modern historians suggest his motives were more political than selfless.”
Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun; when describing politeness, it often follows a linking verb like 'be' or 'seem'.
“The Airport Chaplain wastes no time establishing Tobias as a gallant do-gooder determined to save the day, as he rescues the toy rabbit of a distressed child.”
From Middle English galant, galaunt, from Old French galant (“courteous; dashing; brave”), present participle of galer (“to rejoice; make merry”), from gale (“pomp; show; festivity; mirth”); either from Frankish wala (“good, well”), a variant form of wela, from Proto-Germanic wela (whence well), from Proto-Indo-European welh₁- (“to choose, wish”); or alternatively from Frankish gail (“merry; mirthful; proud; luxuriant”), from Proto-Germanic gailaz (“merry; excited; luxurious”), related to Dutch geil (“horny; lascivious; salacious; lecherous”), German geil (“randy; horny; lecherous; wicked”), Old English gāl (“wanton; wicked; bad”).
17th-century borrowing from French galant. See above.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.