gantlet

(noun) to offer or accept a challenge. Synonyms: gauntlet. Examples: "Threw down the gauntlet." "Took up the gauntlet."

(noun) a glove of armored leather; protects the hand. Synonyms: gauntlet, metal glove.

(noun) a glove with long sleeve. Synonyms: gauntlet.

(noun) the convergence of two parallel railroad tracks in a narrow place; the inner rails cross and run parallel and then diverge so a train remains on its own tracks at all times.

(noun) a form of punishment in which a person is forced to run between two lines of men facing each other and armed with clubs or whips to beat the victim. Synonyms: gauntlet.