Meanings
plural gallows birds · alternative gallows-bird · alternative gallowsbird
- archaicA person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged.
Everybody along Long Wharf knows you called him a gallows bird. He's not used to it.
1943, Esther Hoskins Forbes, Johnny Tremain2 more examples
The story of the man who bit off his father's nose for rearing him as a gallows bird is as old as Aesop, but no known source before Brant mentions the son's name.
2012, Sebastian Brant, The Ship of FoolsBefore me stood not Philippe but a gallows bird no respectable citizen would want to meet up with on a lonely road.
2015, Paul Steinberg, Speak You Also: A Holocaust MemoirSynonyms: hangdog, wag-halter, crack-hemp, crack-rope, gallows, hang dog, hangdog, hempie
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged.
Origin
From gallows + bird. Compare German construction Galgenvogel (literally “gallows-fowl" or "gallows-bird”), and French gibier de potence, as well as similar English jailbird.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian обесник
- обесник (obesnik)person who deserves to be hanged
Dutch galgenaas
- galgenaasperson who deserves to be hanged
Esperanto nutraĵo de eŝafodo
- nutraĵo de eŝafodoperson who deserves to be hanged
Estonian võllaroog
- võllaroogperson who deserves to be hanged
French gibier de potence, pendard
- gibier de potenceperson who deserves to be hanged
- pendardperson who deserves to be hanged
German Galgenvogel
- Galgenvogelperson who deserves to be hanged
Hungarian akasztófáravaló, akasztófavirág
- akasztófáravalóperson who deserves to be hanged
- akasztófavirágperson who deserves to be hanged
Irish ropaire gaid, crochadóir
- ropaire gaidperson who deserves to be hanged
- crochadóirperson who deserves to be hanged
Italian pendaglio da forca
- pendaglio da forcaperson who deserves to be hanged
Latin crux
- cruxperson who deserves to be hanged
Russian ви́сельник
- ви́сельник (víselʹnik)person who deserves to be hanged
Spanish carne de patíbulo
- carne de patíbuloperson who deserves to be hanged
Ukrainian ши́беник
- ши́беник (šýbenyk)person who deserves to be hanged
Cite this entry
gallows bird. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallows%20bird
“gallows bird.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallows%20bird. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gallows bird,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gallows%20bird.
Source: gallows bird on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.