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gallows

Etymology and origin of the English word gallows

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡæləʊz/ (UK); /ˈɡæloʊz/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English galwes, the plural of galwe “gallows”,[2][3][4][5][6] inherited from Old English galga or gealga,[2][3][4][5][6] from Proto-Germanic *galgô (“pole”).[3][4] It is related to German Galgen “gallows”, Old Norse gelgja “pole, stake” and Gothic galga “cross”.[3][4][5][6] The plural form reflects the two posts of the frame.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old English used galga for a gallows and also for the cross of the crucifixion.[4][3][7] The plural form galwes is from about 1300.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

From the apparatus itself the word passed to the punishment of hanging (1483)[7] and to a person who deserved hanging (1588).[7] It was also applied to many structures with two uprights and a crosspiece,[7][2] and to braces for trousers.[1][5] Gallows humour (1876) translates German Galgenhumor.[4]

Timeline

  • about 725 – Old English galga, in Beowulf.[3]
  • about 1300 – galwes.[3][4]
  • about 1425 – adjective, deserving the gallows.[7]
  • 1483 – execution by hanging.[7]
  • 1588 – a person deserving the gallows.[7]
  • 1876 – gallows humor.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A frame of two upright posts and a crossbeam from which people are hanged.
  2. Execution by hanging.
  3. A similar frame used to support or hang something.

Word family

  • gallows bird
  • gallows humor

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Gallows.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/gallows. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·