Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Gloves
The age of COVID has renewed society’s interest in gloves, largely as protective coverings rather than fashion. The word comes from a Middle English word that meant the flat or palm of hand. It became gant in French, guante in Spanish and guanto in Italian, all of which are related to the English word gauntlet, a type of glove. A glove specifically refers to a hand covering with separate parts for the fingers and thumb. The German word for glove, handschuh, literally “hand-shoe,” is probably a better description of what we call a mitten.
In ancient times, gloves were largely a practical item worn to protect working hands. In the Middle Ages gloves became a sign of wealth and power. Common people wore mittens. Kings started to wear ceremonial gloves which became ornamental accessories that represented elegance and luxury. The pope wears gloves as a symbol of purity, but a current COVID update from the Catholic church forbids any type of glove be worn by the priest or any recipient of Communion. The church considers it sacrilege to handle the consecrated host wearing gloves.
Many social customs involved gloves. Knights carried gloves that belonged to a loved one as talismans in their helmets during tournaments. Gloves were used as a pledge or thrown down as a challenge. During the first days of the automobile, everyone wore driving gloves. During the time of open, roofless autos, drivers had to wear hats, goggles, and driving gloves as protection from dust, wind, and rain. The little compartment on the modern dashboard still called a glove box was once exactly just that. Eventually, the need to wear driving gloves faded and the glove box evolved into a general compartment. The 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham turned the glove box into a magnetized minibar, complete with a mini cocktail set, proof that the original purpose for gloves, got well out of hand.
