gallows

gallows
\ \ [13] Gallows was probably borrowed from Old Norse gálgi (the related Old English galga does not seem to have survived into the Middle English period). Both go back to a prehistoric Germanic *galgon ‘pole’, whose descendants, which also include Old High German galgo and Gothic galga, were often used for the ‘cross on which Christ was crucified’. The plurality of modern English gallows presumably comes from the fact that technically a gallows consists of two upright poles with a cross-piece in between (as opposed to a gibbet, which has a single upright).

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Gallows — Gal lows, n. sing.; pl. {Gallowses}or {Gallows}. [OE. galwes, pl., AS. galga, gealga, gallows, cross; akin to D. galg gallows, OS. & OHG. galgo, G. galgen, Icel. g[=a]lgi, Sw. & Dan. galge, Goth. galga a cross. Etymologically and historically… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gallows — Gal lows, n. sing.; pl. {Gallowses}or {Gallows}. [OE. galwes, pl., AS. galga, gealga, gallows, cross; akin to D. galg gallows, OS. & OHG. galgo, G. galgen, Icel. g[=a]lgi, Sw. & Dan. galge, Goth. galga a cross. Etymologically and historically… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gallows — Gal lows, n. sing.; pl. {Gallowses}or {Gallows}. [OE. galwes, pl., AS. galga, gealga, gallows, cross; akin to D. galg gallows, OS. & OHG. galgo, G. galgen, Icel. g[=a]lgi, Sw. & Dan. galge, Goth. galga a cross. Etymologically and historically… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gallows — en juin 2007 Pays d’origine Watford …   Wikipédia en Français

  • gallows — c.1300, plural of Middle English galwe gallows (mid 13c.), from O.N. galgi gallows, or from O.E. galga (Mercian), gealga (W. Saxon) gallows; all from P.Gmc. *galgon pole (Cf. O.Fris. galga, M.H.G. galge gallows, cross, Ger. Galgen gallows, Goth …   Etymology dictionary

  • gallows — [gal′ōz] n. pl. gallows or gallowses [ME galwes, pl. of galwe < OE galga, akin to Ger galgen < IE base * ĝhalgh , pliant tree branch > Lith žalgà, long, thin pole: the earliest gallows was a pulled down branch that carried the victim… …   English World dictionary

  • Gallows — Allgemeine Informationen Genre(s) Hardcore Punk Gründung 2005 Website http://www.gallows.co.uk …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • gallows — has been treated since the 16c as a singular noun, with a (rarely used) plural gallowses. Gallows humour means ‘grim and ironical humour’ …   Modern English usage

  • gallows — ► PLURAL NOUN (usu. treated as sing. ) 1) a structure consisting of two uprights and a crosspiece, used for hanging a person. 2) (the gallows) execution by hanging. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Gallows — Эта страница требует существенной переработки. Возможно, её необходимо викифицировать, дополнить или переписать. Пояснение причин и обсуждение на странице Википедия:К улучшению/21 декабря 2012. Дата постановки к улучшению 21 декабря 2012. Gallows …   Википедия

  • Gallows — A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging.A gallows can take several forms. The simplest form (as often used in the game Hangman ) resembles an inverted L , with a single upright and a horizontal beam to which the rope …   Wikipedia

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