Meanings
gallows1
noungallows (plural gallows or (rare) gallowses)
plural rare gallowses
- A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.First known use 1300s
Near-synonym: gibbet
1 more example
No, Sir, 'tis fear of Hanging. Who would not ſteal, or do Murder, every time his Fingers itch'd at it, were it not for fear of the Gallows?
1728, Thomas Otway, “The Atheist, or, the Second Part of the Solider's Fortune”, in The Works of Mr. Thomas Otway, volume 2, London, page 37Synonyms: gibbet, gallows tree, gallow tree, hanging tree, gibbet
- colloquialobsoleteA 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.
1590, William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost - colloquialobsoleteSuspenders; braces.
The last pair of "gallowses" made by Mr. Gratacap was an order from Mr. Brokaw, the clothier.
1882, George William Sheldon, The Story of the Volunteer Fire Department of the City of New York, page 67 - 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.
1971, Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather (screenplay, third draft) - The main frame of a beam engine.
- pluralplural of gallow glyph; a specialized, ornate character that appears frequently in the Voynich Manuscript.
adverbgallows (not comparable)
- archaiccolloquialnot comparableUtterly; very.
They've got a gallows bad reputation, but you know what a place the beach is for talking.
1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Beach of Falesá
gallows2
verb
- indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of gallow
Gallows3
proper noun
- pluralplural of Gallow
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.
Broader
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰalgʰ-
- Proto-Germanic*galgô
- Proto-West Germanic*galgō
- Old Englishgalga
- Middle Englishgalwes
- Englishgallows
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.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مِشْنَقَة
- مِشْنَقَة (mišnaqa)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Basque urkamendi
- urkamendiwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Bulgarian беси́ло, беси́лка
- беси́ло (besílo)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- беси́лка (besílka)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Catalan forca
- forcawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Chinese Mandarin 絞刑架 /绞刑架, 絞架 /绞架
- 絞刑架 /绞刑架 (jiǎoxíngjià)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- 絞架 /绞架 (jiǎojià)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Czech šibenice
- šibenicewooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Danish galge
- galgewooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Dutch galg
- galgwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Esperanto pendumilo, pendigilo
- pendumilowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- pendigilowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Estonian võllas
- võllaswooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Finnish hirsipuu, hirsi
- hirsipuuwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- hirsiwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- hirttopaikkawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
French gibet, potence
- gibetwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- potencewooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
German Galgen
- Galgenwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Greek αγχόνη, κρεμάλα
- αγχόνη (anchóni)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- κρεμάλα (kremála)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Hebrew גַּרְדּוֹם
- גַּרְדּוֹם (gardom)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Hindi फाँसी
- फाँसी (phā̃sī)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Hungarian akasztófa, bitófa
- akasztófawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- bitófawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- bitówooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Icelandic gálgi
- gálgiwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Irish croch
- crochwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Italian forca, patibolo
- forcawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- patibolowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Japanese 絞首台
- 絞首台 (kōshudai)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Korean 교수대
- 교수대 (gyosudae)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Latin arbor, gabalus
- arborwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- gabaluswooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- patibulumwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Latvian kārtavas
- kārtavaswooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Lithuanian kartuvės
- kartuvėswooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Māori pou tārore, tārawa
- pou tārorewooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- tārawaany structure with posts and crossbeam for suspending objects.
Norwegian galge
- galgewooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Persian چوبه دار, دار
- چوبه دار (čube-ye dâr)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- دار (dâr)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Polish szubienica
- szubienicawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Portuguese patíbulo, cadafalso
- patíbulowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- cadafalsowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Romanian spânzurătoare
- spânzurătoarewooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Russian ви́селица, ши́беница
- ви́селица (víselica)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- ши́беница (šíbenica)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Slovak šibenica
- šibenicawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Spanish horca, patíbulo
- horcawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- patíbulowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- forcawooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- cadahalsowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- cadalsowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- supliciowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- tabladowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Swedish galge, galgbacke
- galgewooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- galgbackewooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Tagalog bibitayan
- bibitayanwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Thai ตะแลงแกง
- ตะแลงแกง (dtà-lɛɛng-gɛɛng)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Turkish darağacı
- darağacıwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Ukrainian ши́бениця
- ши́бениця (šýbenycja)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Urdu پَھان٘سی
- پَھان٘سی (phā̃sī)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Vietnamese giá treo cổ, giá xử giảo
- giá treo cổwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
- giá xử giảowooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Welsh crocbren
- crocbrenwooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Yiddish תּליה
- תּליה (tliye)wooden framework on which persons are put to death by hanging
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gallows
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
gallows. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallows
MLA
“gallows.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallows. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gallows,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallows.
Source: gallows on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.