gallows

[ gal-ohz, -uhz ]

noun

, plural gal·lows·es, gal·lows.

1. a wooden frame, consisting of a crossbeam on two uprights, on which condemned persons are executed by hanging.
2. a similar structure from which something is suspended.
3. execution by hanging:

   a crime deserving of the gallows.

4. Also called gallows bitts. Nautical. a support on the deck of a vessel, generally one of two or more, consisting of a crosspiece on two uprights, for spars, boats, etc.

gallows

/ ˈɡæləʊz /

noun

1. a wooden structure usually consisting of two upright posts with a crossbeam from which a rope is suspended, used for hanging criminals
2. any timber structure resembling this, such as (in Australia and New Zealand) a frame for hoisting up the bodies of slaughtered cattle
3. the gallows
   execution by hanging

Word History and Origins

Origin of gallows¹

before 900; Middle English galwes, Old English g ( e ) algan, plural of g ( e ) alga gallows; cognate with German Galgen

Word History and Origins

Origin of gallows¹

C13: from Old Norse galgi, replacing Old English gealga ; related to Old High German galgo

Example Sentences

The last woman believed to have been executed in England for witchcraft may have avoided the gallows, according to new research.

From BBC

The ghostly story tells the tale of a sailor murdered by three criminals whose bodies were strung up on a hanging gallows as a warning to passing travellers.

From BBC

The Jan. 6 insurrectionists responded to Pence’s stand by erecting a gallows on the Capitol grounds and threatening to hang him, which Trump said was a good idea.

From Los Angeles Times

Streetwise and informed by Price’s trademark dialogue and gallows humor, it’s a tale of individual redemption and an exploration of the precarity of American life.

From Los Angeles Times

Though an evangelical, Trump’s fans had hoisted gallows during the January 6 insurrection and would have been more than happy to hang him from them.

From Salon