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Glite Dictionary
gallous

gallous

9.9
A wooden frame with two posts and a crossbeam for hanging people
  • noun
  • NSFW
translation icon : horca
  • Stories of criminals meeting their fate at the gallous were common in the old town.

Examples

  • The prisoner was marched to the gallous at dawn, watched by a silent crowd.

  • The gallous stood ominously in the town square.

  • He feared nothing, not even the gallous erected in the square.

  • Many feared the sight of the gallous in the village.

  • In the old town square, the gallous was made of sturdy wood and served as a grim reminder of past executions.

  • The villagers spoke in hushed tones about the gallous that had stood for centuries, its legacy etched in their history.

  • Artists often depicted the gallous in their works, capturing both its fearsome presence and the somber stories it held.

Synonyms

gibbet
vsgallous
  • NSFW
3 9.9

A frame with a beam across the top used for hanging criminals

is used for hanging people in general, not only convicted criminals
gallows
vsgallous
  • NSFW
1 7.5

A wooden frame used to kill people by hanging

is the archaic name for that structure, not used in modern speech
gallows-tree
vsgallous
  • Archaic
9.9

A wooden frame used in the past for hanging people as punishment

is the older, archaic form of the same term, now uncommon

Surface Forms

gallous singular
gallouses plural

Etymology

Gallous is an old form of gallows, from an old German word galga meaning 'pole' or 'beam'. Think of two tall poles and a crossbeam where people were hung — that image explains why gallous means the structure used for hanging people.