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

  1. A person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged

Ancestry of “gallows bird”, step by step

gallows bird traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English gallows

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgallowsWooden framework on which persons are put to...
2Middle Englishgalwesgallows
3Old Englishgalga—
4Frankishgalgōmeasuring rod, pole; gallows
5Proto-Germanicgalgôa rod, pole, stake; a beam, cross-beam, rafter; a...
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanǵʰAlgʰ-—

via English bird

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbirdA member of the class of animals Aves in the...
2Middle Englishbrida young bird, a bird in general; Alternative form...
3Old Englishbriddyoung bird, chick; chicken
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰAlgʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic galgô →Every word from Frankish galgō →