Where does “gallows bird” come from?
gallows bird (English) comes from English gallows, from Middle English galwes, from Old English galga, from Frankish galgō, from Proto-Germanic galgô, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰAlgʰ-.
gallows bird (English): A person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged
Definitions
- A person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged
Ancestry of “gallows bird”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | gallows | Wooden framework on which persons are put to... |
| 2 | Middle English | galwes | gallows |
| 3 | Old English | galga | — |
| 4 | Frankish | galgō | measuring rod, pole; gallows |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | galgô | a rod, pole, stake; a beam, cross-beam, rafter; a... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰAlgʰ- | — |