Etymograph

English

gallery

Gallery comes from Middle English galery, and goes back to Medieval Latin galeria.

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500galeria1
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400galerie1
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600galerie1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500galery1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1969gallery1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English gallery
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1969, Paul McCartney, Maxwell's Silver Hammer: “Rose and Valerie, screaming from the gallery Say he…”.

Lineage

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500galeriaWiktionary, English gallery
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400galerieWiktionary, English gallery
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600galerieWiktionary, English gallery
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500galeryWiktionary, English gallery
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1969galleryWiktionary, English gallery. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1969, Paul McCartney, Maxwell's Silver Hammer: “Rose and Valerie, screaming from the gallery Say he…”

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Today it means

noun An institution, building, or room for the exhibition and conservation of important objects, especially works of art.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “gallery”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Medieval Latin galeria / gallery