Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “galowe” come from?

galowe (Middle English) comes from Old English ġealga, from Frankish galgō, from Proto-Germanic galgô, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰAlgʰ-.

Ancestry of “galowe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishġealgacross-beam, gallows
2Frankishgalgōmeasuring rod, pole; gallows
3Proto-Germanicgalgôa rod, pole, stake; a beam, cross-beam, rafter; a...
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanǵʰAlgʰ-—

Words derived from “galowe”

  • gallows
  • gallous
  • scapegallows
  • gallows bird
  • gallousness
  • gallus
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰAlgʰ- →