Glove in different languages

Glove in Different Languages

Discover 'Glove' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

From the frosty touch of winter to the searing heat of summer, gloves have been an integral part of human attire across cultures and centuries, signifying not just protection but also elegance, authority, and craftsmanship. The significance of gloves extends beyond their practical utility to embody cultural rituals, historical events, and fashion trends, making them fascinating subjects of study. Did you know, for example, that in medieval Europe, throwing a glove could challenge someone to a duel? Or that in many cultures, gloves symbolize purity and honor? Understanding glove in different languages can offer insights into how various cultures perceive and value this iconic accessory. Whether it's 'Guante' in Spanish, 'Gant' in French, or '手套' (Shǒutào) in Chinese, each translation carries the weight of its own history and cultural idiosyncrasies. Here's a closer look at the translations of "glove" across different tongues, highlighting the global tapestry of language and culture.

Glove


Glove in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanshandskoen
The Afrikaans word "handskoen" is derived from the Dutch "handschoen", meaning "hand shoe."
Amharicጓንት
Hausasafar hannu
The word 'safar hannu' in Hausa, meaning 'glove', derives from the Arabic phrase 'safar al-yadayn', which translates to 'journey of the hands'. This reflects the glove's purpose as a protective covering for the hands during travel.
Igbouwe aka
Uwe aka in Igbo may also refer to a type of traditional head covering worn by married women.
Malagasyglove
The Malagasy word "fonon-tanana" does not only mean "glove" but also means "glove puppet".
Nyanja (Chichewa)mogwirizana
In some contexts, 'mogwirizana' can refer to the leather that gloves are made of.
Shonagurovhisi
The word "gurovhisi" also means "a piece of leather or cloth worn to protect the hand from dirt or injury" in Shona.
Somaligaloof
"Galoof" is also the name of a popular Somali dish made with rice, meat, and vegetables.
Sesothotlelafo
The Sesotho word "tlelafo" is derived from the compound words "tlela" (to hold) and "fo" (hand).
Swahilikinga
The term 'kinga' is an old term meaning 'to wear' and also refers to a 'covering'.
Xhosaisikhuseli
"Iskhuseli" also has a metaphorical meaning: "something to protect oneself"
Yorubaibowo
The word 'Ibòwó' can also be used to refer to a protective charm carried in the hand.
Zuluigilavu
The Zulu word 'igilavu' can also refer to a type of basket used to store grain, or a container used to carry beer.
Bambaragant (gan) ye
Eweasigɛ
Kinyarwandagants
Lingalagant ya kosala
Lugandaggalavu
Sepediglove ya
Twi (Akan)nsateaa a wɔde hyɛ mu

Glove in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicقفاز
The word 'قفاز' is plural for 'قفزة', meaning a 'leap' while the singular form can also refer to 'slippers' or 'socks'.
Hebrewכְּפָפָה
In Arabic, "כְּפָפָה" can also mean "sleeve".
Pashtoدستکشې
The term "دستکشې" is also used to refer to mittens in Pashto, with "left" and "right" often used to differentiate between the two.
Arabicقفاز
The word 'قفاز' is plural for 'قفزة', meaning a 'leap' while the singular form can also refer to 'slippers' or 'socks'.

Glove in Western European Languages

Albaniandoreza
The word "doreza" likely derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰébʰ-, also found in English "give". This may be because, in the past, humans often made crude gloves or mittens from the hides or pelts of animals they had killed for food.
Basqueeskularrua
The word "eskularrua" in Basque is derived from the root "esku-" (hand) and the suffix "-arrua" (piece of clothing), implying a garment that covers the hands.
Catalanguant
The word "guant" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "guantem", meaning "glove"
Croatianrukavica
The word "rukavica" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*rukavica", meaning "sleeve" or "hand covering".
Danishhandske
The Danish word "handske" originates from the Old Norse word "hanska", meaning "half-shoe".
Dutchhandschoen
The Dutch word "handschoen" likely comes from the Middle Dutch "hantscoen", meaning "covering for the hand".
Englishglove
"Glove" comes from Old English "glof", meaning a hand covering, or from Old Norse "glofi", meaning a split hoof.
Frenchgant
The word "gant" in French is derived from the Latin "gauntletus", meaning "gloved hand".
Frisianwant
It can also mean 'to be missing something' or 'to need something'.
Galicianluva
The word "luva" comes from the Latin word "lupus", meaning "wolf", and was originally used to refer to the skin of a wolf that was worn as a glove.
Germanhandschuh
The word "Handschuh" comes from the Old High German "hant" (hand) and "scuoh" (shoe) while the "Handschuh" is the shoe for the hand.
Icelandichanski
The word "hanski" could either come from the word "hönd" (hand) or "hǫnskur" (old Norse for glove).
Irishglove
The Irish word 'lámh' means both 'hand' and 'glove', suggesting that these were originally seen as inseparable.
Italianguanto
The term "guanto" derives from the Lombard "want," meaning "mitten."
Luxembourgishhandschuesch
"Handschuesch" is a deformation of the German word "Handschuh", which itself has a long history going back to the Proto-Germanic "hantuskuaz".
Malteseingwanta
The etymology of 'ingwanta' is uncertain, but it may derive from Italian 'guanto', Spanish 'guante' or French 'gant'.
Norwegianhanske
The Norwegian word hanske originates from the Old Norse term hanzki meaning 'half shoe'.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)luva
The term "luva" originated from the Latin word "lupus" (wolf), likely because of the wolf fur frequently used in glovemaking in ancient times.
Scots Gaelicmiotag
The word 'miotag' is derived from the Old Irish word 'mitog', meaning 'a covering for the hand'.
Spanishguante
In Spanish, "guante" comes from the Frankish word "want", meaning "mitten". It can also refer to a type of leather glove used in bullfighting.
Swedishhandske
"Handske" is a cognate of the English word "hand shoe" and comes from the Old Norse word "handskoe".
Welshmaneg
The word "maneg" in Welsh also refers to a bird known as the chaffinch.

Glove in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпальчатка
"Пальчатка" is derived from the word "палец" (finger), and can also refer to a finger stall.
Bosnianrukavica
The word "rukavica" in Bosnian comes from the Proto-Slavic root "*rukavъ", meaning "sleeve".
Bulgarianръкавица
The Bulgarian word "ръкавица" (glove) is derived from the Old Slavic word "ръка" (hand) and the suffix "-ица", meaning "something that belongs to or is connected with something else".
Czechrukavice
"Rukavice" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*rukavica", meaning "hand covering".
Estoniankinnas
The word “kinnas” can also refer to a bag, a cover, a pouch, or a sheath in Estonian.
Finnishkäsine
The word 'käsine' is related to the verb 'käsittää', meaning 'to grasp' or 'to understand'
Hungariankesztyű
In Hungarian, "kesztyű" is related to the Turkic "keçe", meaning "felt".
Latviancimds
The word "cimds" is thought to be derived from the Proto-Indo-European word for "glove" which also meant "to protect."
Lithuanianpirštinė
The Lithuanian word "pirštinė" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*per-," meaning "to protect."
Macedonianракавица
Ракавица (glove) comes from the old Proto-Slavic word *rǫkavica which meant “hand protection”.
Polishrękawica
The word "rękawica" in Polish literally translates to "hand sleeve".
Romanianmănușă
The etymology of "mănușă" is obscure, but some scholars suggest it may derive from the Romanian "mână" meaning hand
Russianперчатка
"Перчатка" in Russian derives from the word "перст" (finger), highlighting its purpose as a hand covering tailored to individual fingers.
Serbianрукавица
Слово „рукавица“ может произойти от слова „рука“ (часть тела) и „вица“ (ветка гибкого дерева), что может указывать на первоначальное использование перчаток для защиты рук от ветвей и царапин.
Slovakrukavice
The word "rukavice" is derived from the Old High German "ruchhantschuoh", which translates to "hand shoe".
Slovenianrokavico
"Rokavico" can also mean "challenge" or "rivalry" in Slovenian, similar to throwing down a glove in English.
Ukrainianрукавичка
The word 'рукавичка' comes from the old Slavic word 'ръкавъ' meaning 'sleeve', indicating that this garment originally only covered part of the hand and arm, rather than the full hand as is common now.

Glove in South Asian Languages

Bengaliগ্লাভস
The word "গ্লাভস" comes from the Old French word "gluve", which in turn comes from the Latin word "globus", meaning "ball" or "sphere".
Gujaratiહાથમોજું
Hindiदस्ताना
The word "दस्ताना" ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeǵʰ-, meaning "to cover" or "to protect".
Kannadaಕೈಗವಸು
The word "ಕೈಗವಸು" (glove) in Kannada literally means "hand-covering."
Malayalamകയ്യുറ
"Kayyura" is derived from the Sanskrit word "kaiyūrakam", meaning "covering for the hand".
Marathiहातमोजा
The word "हातमोजा" in Marathi is derived from the Sanskrit word "हस्त" (hand) and "मोज़" (covering).
Nepaliपन्जा
The Nepali word "पन्जा" also refers to the human hand or the claws of an animal.
Punjabiਦਸਤਾਨੇ
The word "ਦਾਸਤਾਨੇ" (dastaane) is derived from the Persian word "dastaaneh" meaning "a story", and it refers to a type of long glove that was worn by storytellers in ancient Persia.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)අත්වැස්ම
The word "අත්වැස්ම" can also refer to a hand covering made of leather specifically used for playing traditional Kandyan drums.
Tamilகையுறை
"கையுறை" can also refer to a bribe or gratuity given to someone, especially to influence their decision.
Teluguచేతి తొడుగు
Urduدستانے
The word "دستانے" (glove) in Urdu is derived from the Persian word "دستانه" which means "hand covering".

Glove in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)手套
手套源自宋朝,原指套在手上避免污秽的套子。
Chinese (Traditional)手套
The glyph 手套 literally means “hand covering.”
Japaneseグローブ
"グローブ" is also a Japanese unit of measure equal to 0.303 meters.
Korean장갑
The word '장갑' originally referred to armor worn on the forearms and hands for protection in battle.
Mongolianбээлий
The word "бээлий" can also mean "mitt" or "hand covering" in Mongolian.
Myanmar (Burmese)လက်အိတ်
The Myanmar word for glove, ဖိင္နက (let-ei:t), derives from the Mon language, ဦစဆ (lɫɓ)ဵ (lɫɓ:k), စရိ (kɪ)ဤ (kɪɛ) which itself derives from a Proto-Austroasiatic word, ညးးဗး (krɔːm) meaning "hand covering" and is cognated with many mainland Southeast Asian terms for the same concept, such as Thai ผมิ (krɔŋ) and Khmer ឡ឵គ (krɔɔŋ).

Glove in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiansarung tangan
Sarung tangan literally means "hand sheath" in Indonesian, highlighting its function as a covering for the hand.
Javanesesarung tangan
In Javanese, the word "sarung tangan" literally means "hand sheath" or "hand wrapper".
Khmerស្រោមដៃ
Laoຖົງມື
Malaysarung tangan
The Malay word "sarung tangan" literally translates to "hand cover".
Thaiถุงมือ
ถุงมือ comes from 'ถุง' (bag) and 'มือ' (hand), indicating it is something that contains the hand.
Vietnamesegăng tay
"Găng" means "to cover" in Vietnamese, and "tay" means "hand". Therefore, "găng tay" literally means "hand cover". This term is often used to refer to the protective gear worn on the hands.
Filipino (Tagalog)guwantes

Glove in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniəlcək
The word "əlcək" also means "to protect", "to cover" or "to hide" in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhқолғап
Қолғап means
Kyrgyzмээлей
The word "мээлей" is also used to refer to the paw of a dog or cat.
Tajikдастпӯшак
The word "дастпӯшак" is derived from the Persian words "دست" (hand) and "پوش" (cover), thus meaning "hand cover". Alternatively, it can also refer to a "mitten".
Turkmenellik
Uzbekqo'lqop
The word "qo'lqop" in Uzbek is a loanword from Persian and also means "hand cover".
Uyghurپەلەي

Glove in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmīkina lima
The word 'mīkina lima' is related to the word 'mīkina', which means 'clothing' or 'covering'.
Maorikarapu
The Maori word 'karapu' can also refer to a 'hand covering' or 'mitt'.
Samoantotini lima
The Samoan word 'totini lima' is derived from the Proto-Polynesian term 'toti lima', meaning 'covering for the hand'.
Tagalog (Filipino)guwantes
"Guwantes" comes from the Spanish word "guantes" meaning "gloves".

Glove in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaraguante ukampi
Guaraniguante rehegua

Glove in International Languages

Esperantoganto
The word "ganto" is derived from the French word "gant", which is also the origin of the English word "glove".
Latincaestu
Also refers to a boxing glove, made of leather or strips of wool stuffed with horsehair or sand, used in ancient Rome.

Glove in Others Languages

Greekγάντι
The word “γάντι” comes from the Italian word “guanto,” which is related to the Latin word “manus” meaning “hand.”
Hmonghnab looj tes
Hnab looj tes literally means "hand foot cloth" in Hmong and is used to refer to gloves in the context of clothing.
Kurdishlepik
In Kurdish language, the word “lepik” is also used to describe a person who is skillful and quick in their work or actions.
Turkisheldiven
The word "eldiven" derives from the Persian word "dastana" meaning "hand cover".
Xhosaisikhuseli
"Iskhuseli" also has a metaphorical meaning: "something to protect oneself"
Yiddishהענטשקע
"Handschuh", German for "glove," is the source of "הענטשקע".
Zuluigilavu
The Zulu word 'igilavu' can also refer to a type of basket used to store grain, or a container used to carry beer.
Assameseগ্লভছ
Aymaraguante ukampi
Bhojpuriदस्ताना के बा
Dhivehiއަތްދަބަހެވެ
Dogriदस्ताना
Filipino (Tagalog)guwantes
Guaraniguante rehegua
Ilocanoguantes
Krioglɔv we dɛn kin yuz
Kurdish (Sorani)دەستکێش
Maithiliदस्ताना
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯒ꯭ꯂꯣꯕ ꯇꯧꯕꯥ꯫
Mizoglove a ni
Oromoguwaantii
Odia (Oriya)ଗ୍ଲୋଭ୍ |
Quechuaguante
Sanskritदस्ताना
Tatarперчатка
Tigrinyaጓንቲ
Tsongaglove ya xirhendzevutani

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