gallow
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gallow¹
- /ˈɡæləʊ/
Rhymes with -æləʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English *galowen, *galewen, *galwen (attested in begalewen (“to frighten”)), from Old English *gǣlwan, *gēlwan (attested in āgǣlwed, āgēlwed (“stupified, astonished, disconcerted”)), of unknown origin. Alternative forms gally, galley perhaps influenced by Middle English galyen, galien, variants of galen (“to cry out, shout, make a harsh cry”), from Old English galan (“to sing, call”). Compare also Old Norse gala (“to sing, shout, crow”), Old Norse gjalla (“to yell, shout”).
verb gallows · gallowing · gallowed · gally · galler
- To frighten, alarm, scare, or terrify. The wrathful skies / Gallow the very wanderers of the dark / And make them keep their caves.
- To drive or scare away.
- To confuse with noise.
gallow²
noun gallows · gally · galler · gall · galley
-
Ellipsis of gallow glyph
Similar: gallow character
Gallow³
proper noun Gallows
- A surname.
Talk about this word "gallow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gallow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gallow. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gallow "gallow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gallow.Cite this
@misc{gallow_2026,
title = {gallow},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gallow},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
