gallows

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gallows^¹

/ˈɡæləʊz/ UK
/ˈɡæloʊz/ US
/ˈɡæləs/ dialectal

Rhymes with (UK) -æləʊz, (US) -æloʊz, (now dialectal) -æləs

Where it comes from

From Middle English galwes, galewes, plural of galwe, galowe, from Old English galga, gealga, from Proto-West Germanic *galgō, from Proto-Germanic *galgô, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰalgʰ-, *ǵʰalg- (“long switch, rod, shaft, pole, perch”). The plural construction probably refers to the vertical and horizontal beams.

Compare West Frisian galge, Dutch galg, German Galgen, Danish galge, Icelandic gálgi.

For the pronunciation /ˈɡæləs/, compare bellows, bodice.

noun gallows · gallowses

A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging. Near-synonym: gibbet
Similar: gibbet, gallows tree, gallow tree, hanging tree
colloquial, obsolete A wretch who deserves to be hanged. Ay, and a shrewd unhappy gallows too. / You'll ne'er be friends with him: a' kill'd your sister.
obsolete The rest for the tympan when raised.
colloquial, obsolete Suspenders; braces. The last pair of "gallowses" made by Mr. Gratacap was an order from Mr. Brokaw, the clothier.
Any contrivance with posts and crossbeam for suspending objects. Lit by the moonlight through the window, he can see a FIGURE in the hospital bed alone in the room, and under a transparent oxygen tent. […] Tubes hang from a steel gallows beside the bed, and run to his nose and mouth.
The main frame of a beam engine.
plural plural of gallow glyph; a specialized, ornate character that appears frequently in the Voynich Manuscript.

adverb

archaic, colloquial, not comparable Utterly; very. They've got a gallows bad reputation, but you know what a place the beach is for talking.

gallows^²

/ˈɡæləʊz/ UK
/ˈɡæloʊz/ US
/ˈɡæləs/ dialectal

Rhymes with (UK) -æləʊz, (US) -æloʊz, (now dialectal) -æləs

verb

indicative, present, singular, third person third-person singular simple present indicative of gallow

Gallows^³

proper noun

plural plural of Gallow

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: gibbet, gallous, gallowstree, place, dead, tree, cranes, portals, gallows frame, saltbox, gangboard, crow cage, gantry, hanging basket, gangway, gondola

noun

Translations

Every language

noun wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging

Español	horca, patíbulo, forca, cadahalso, cadalso, suplicio
한국어	교수대 gyosudae
日本語	絞首台 kōshudai
中文	絞刑架 /绞刑架 jiǎoxíngjià, 絞架 /绞架 jiǎojià
हिन्दी	फाँसी phā̃sī
Português	patíbulo, cadafalso
Français	gibet, potence
Deutsch	Galgen
Italiano	forca, patibolo
Ελληνικά	αγχόνη anchóni, κρεμάλα kremála
Română	spânzurătoare
Русский	ви́селица víselica, ши́беница šíbenica
Tiếng Việt	giá treo cổ, giá xử giảo
العربية	مِشْنَقَة mišnaqa
עברית	גַּרְדּוֹם gardom

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MLA

"gallows." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gallows. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

gallows. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gallows

Chicago

"gallows." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gallows.

BibTeX

@misc{gallows_2026,
  title = {gallows},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gallows},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}