Gallows
/ˈɡæloʊz/noun
A frame or structure used for hanging a person, especially as a form of execution.
Did you know?The English word comes from a Germanic root meaning a forked or bent branch, and the plural-looking form survives because gallows was historically treated like a plural noun.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰel-
“to bend, curve, or be angular”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*galwô / *galwaz
“a forked branch, crook, or tree-fork”
Old English
OE
galga
“a gallows, cross, or forked frame for hanging”
Middle English
ME
gallowes
“a gallows or hanging frame”
Modern English
English
gallows
“a structure for hanging a person, especially as execution”