Added 9 October 2026
gallows
/ˈɡæləʊz/ noun
In Latin: arbor, gabalus, patibulum Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gallows at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An instrument of execution consisting of a wooden frame from which a condemned person is executed by hanging.
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)