gallows-tree

9.9

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

noun
/ˈɡæloʊz tri/

Archaic

: árbol de la horca

The condemned man was led to the gallows-tree at dawn, watched by a silent crowd.

Examples

Villagers gathered nervously near the old gallows-tree on the outskirts of town.
The gallows-tree stood ominously in the village square.
Many stories from the era mention the gallows-tree as a place of both fear and justice.
In the story, the gallows-tree was a symbol of justice.
The condemned man was led to the gallows-tree at dawn, watched by a silent crowd.
Villagers gathered nervously near the old gallows-tree on the outskirts of town.
In the story, the gallows-tree was a symbol of justice.

Synonyms

gibbet

vsgallows-tree

NSFW

3 9.9

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

is the general execution structure term without stressing crossbeam detail

gallows

vsgallows-tree

NSFW

1 7.5

A wooden frame used to kill people by hanging

is the historical or literary variant of this common execution term

gallows tree

vsgallows-tree

Archaic

1 9.9

A tree or frame used to hang people as punishment

is the general term for the wooden execution structure, not specifically a tree

gallous

vsgallows-tree

NSFW

9.9

A wooden frame with two posts and a crossbeam for hanging people

is the regular historical or literary name rather than an obsolete term

Surface Forms

gallows-tree singular

gallows-trees plural

Morphology

gallows-tree = gallows + tree (transparent) = gallows + tree

The compound is a straightforward combination of 'gallows' and 'tree' meaning a gallows (a wooden structure), so learners who know the component words can infer the sense.

Etymology

Gallows-tree joins the words gallows, which means 'frame for hanging', and tree. Long ago people often used a real tree or a wooden frame for executions, so the name simply means the wooden place used for hanging.