gallowglass

[ gal-oh-glas, -glahs ]
/ ˈgæl oʊˌglæs, -ˌglɑs /

noun Irish History.

galloglass.

Words nearby gallowglass

galloping dominoes, gallotannic acid, gallous, gallovidian, galloway, gallowglass, gallows, gallows bird, gallows frame, gallows humor, gallows humour

Definition for gallowglass (2 of 2)

galloglass

or gal·low·glass

[ gal-oh-glas, -glahs ]
/ ˈgæl oʊˌglæs, -ˌglɑs /

noun Irish History.

a follower and supporter of or a soldier owing allegiance to an Irish chief.

Origin of galloglass

1505–15; < Irish gallóglách, equivalent to gall a stranger, foreigner + óglach a youth, soldier, servant, derivative of Old Irish óac, óc young

Example sentences from the Web for gallowglass

  • The kern or cateran of the Highlands was a light-armed infantryman, as opposed to the heavy-armed "gallowglass."

    Lady of the Lake |Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for gallowglass

galloglass

gallowglass

/ (ˈɡæləʊˌɡlɑːs) /

noun

a heavily armed mercenary soldier, originally Hebridean (Gaelic-Norse), maintained by Irish and some other Celtic chiefs from about 1235 to the 16th century

Word Origin for galloglass

C16: from Irish Gaelic gallóglach, from gall foreigner + óglach, young warrior-servant, from og young + -lach a noun suffix