gall
1
[ gawl ]
/ gɔl /
noun
impudence; effrontery.
bile, especially that of an animal.
something bitter or severe.
bitterness of spirit; rancor.
Idioms for gall
gall and wormwood,
bitterness of spirit; deep resentment.
Origin of gall
1
before 900; Middle English; Old English
galla, gealla; cognate with German
Galle; akin to Latin
fel, Greek
cholḗ gall, bile
Words nearby gall
galingale,
galinsoga,
galion,
galiot,
galipot,
gall,
gall 1,
gall bladder,
gall duct,
gall midge,
gall mite
Definition for gall (2 of 4)
gall
2
[ gawl ]
/ gɔl /
verb (used with object)
to make sore by rubbing; chafe severely: The saddle galled the horse's back.
to vex or irritate greatly: His arrogant manner galls me.
verb (used without object)
noun
Origin of gall
2
before 1000; Middle English
galle (noun),
gallen (v.) perhaps < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German
gall, akin to Old English
gealla sore on a horse
OTHER WORDS FROM gall
un·galled, adjectiveDefinition for gall (3 of 4)
gall
3
[ gawl ]
/ gɔl /
noun
any abnormal vegetable growth or excrescence on plants, caused by various agents, as insects, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and mechanical injuries.
Origin of gall
3Definition 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.
Example sentences from the Web for gall
British Dictionary definitions for gall (1 of 3)
gall
1
/ (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 3)
gall
2
/ (ɡɔːl) /
noun
a sore on the skin caused by chafing
something that causes vexation or annoyance
a 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 3)
gall
3
/ (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
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.