gall
1[ gawl ]
/ gɔl /
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noun
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Idioms about gall
gall and wormwood, bitterness of spirit; deep resentment.
Origin of gall
1First recorded before 900; Middle English galle, gal “gallbladder; bitter taste; rancor; poison,” Old English gealla “bile”; cognate with German Galle; akin to Latin fel, Greek cholḗ, chólos “gall, bile”; gall2
Other definitions for gall (2 of 4)
gall2
[ gawl ]
/ gɔl /
verb (used with object)
to vex or irritate greatly: His arrogant manner galls me.
to make sore by rubbing; chafe severely: The saddle galled the horse's back.
verb (used without object)
noun
Origin of gall
2First recorded before 1000; Middle English gal(l)e, gaul(e) “sore (on the skin); stain, impurity; barren spot (in a field),” Old English gealla “an abrasion or sore (on a horse)”; possibly from Latin galla “nutgall”; possibly the same as gall1, the senses developing from “bile” to “poison” to “(poisonous) sore” to “stain”; see also gall3
OTHER WORDS FROM gall
un·galled, adjectiveOther definitions for gall (3 of 4)
gall3
[ gawl ]
/ gɔl /
noun
any abnormal vegetable growth or excrescence on a plant, caused by various agents, as insects, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and mechanical injuries.
Origin of gall
3First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English galle, from Middle French, from Latin galla “gallnut”; see gall2
Other definitions for gall (4 of 4)
Gall
[ gawl ]
/ gɔl /
noun
Pizi, 1840?–94, leader of the Hunkpapa Sioux: a major chief in the battle of Little Bighorn.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gall in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for gall (1 of 4)
gall1
/ (ɡɔːl) /
noun
informal impudence
bitterness; rancour
something bitter or disagreeable
physiol an obsolete term for bile 1
an obsolete term for gall bladder
Word Origin for gall
from Old Norse, replacing Old English gealla; related to Old High German galla, Greek kholē
British Dictionary definitions for gall (2 of 4)
gall2
/ (ɡɔːl) /
noun
a sore on the skin caused by chafing
something that causes vexation or annoyancea gall to the spirits
irritation; exasperation
verb
pathol to abrade (the skin, etc) as by rubbing
(tr) to irritate or annoy; vex
Word Origin for gall
C14: of Germanic origin; related to Old English gealla sore on a horse, and perhaps to gall 1
British Dictionary definitions for gall (3 of 4)
gall3
/ (ɡɔːl) /
noun
an abnormal outgrowth in plant tissue caused by certain parasitic insects, fungi, bacteria, or mechanical injury
Word Origin for gall
C14: from Old French galle, from Latin galla
British Dictionary definitions for gall (4 of 4)
gall.
gal.
abbreviation for
gallon
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Scientific definitions for gall
gall
[ gôl ]
An abnormal swelling of plant tissue, caused by injury or by parasitic organisms such as insects, mites, nematodes, and bacteria. Parasites stimulate the production of galls by secreting chemical irritants on or in the plant tissue. Galls stimulated by egg-laying parasites typically provide a protective environment in which the eggs can hatch and the pupae develop, and they usually do only minor damage to the host plant. Gall-stimulating fungi and microorganisms, such as the bacterium that causes crown gall, are generally considered to be plant diseases.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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