Meanings
plural gallinippers · alternative gallynipper
- USAny large insect that bites, for example, certain large mosquitos.
And when darkness comes and they leave off, the mosquitoes and the gallinippers join hands to take their place and suck out blood and annoy us until the first day brings its light.
2011, Roger Abrahams, African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World, page 55
Origin
18th century. Origin unknown. Earlier forms were gurnipper and gal-knipper. Second element is probably nipper; first element may have become influenced by galley.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
gallinipper. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallinipper
“gallinipper.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallinipper. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gallinipper,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallinipper.
Source: gallinipper on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.