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gallows

Pronunciation: /ˈɡæləʊz/

The English word “gallows” has 7 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.
  2. A wretch who deserves to be hanged.
  3. The rest for the tympan when raised.
  4. Suspenders; braces.
  5. Any contrivance with posts and crossbeam for suspending objects.
  6. The main frame of a beam engine.

adverb

  1. Utterly; very.

Etymology

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…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.