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gall

UK/ɡɔːl/ US/ɡoːl/ fairly common
noun (6) verb (2)

noun

1.

an open sore on the back of a horse caused by ill-fitting or badly adjusted saddle

Synonyms
2.

a skin sore caused by chafing

3.

abnormal swelling of plant tissue caused by insects or microorganisms or injury

4.
5.

a digestive juice secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder; aids in the digestion of fats

Synonyms
6.

verb

1.

become or make sore by or as if by rubbing

Synonyms
2.

irritate or vex

  • “It galls me that we lost the suit”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English galle, from Old English ġealla, galla, from Proto-West Germanic *gallā, from Proto-Germanic *gallǭ. The figurative senses (e.g., impudence, brazenness, chutzpah) are related to the literal sense (i.e., bile) via the lasting linguocultural effects of humorism, which governed Western medicine for many centuries before the advent of scientific medicine. Related to Dutch gal, German Galle, Swedish galle, galla, Ancient Greek χολή (kholḗ). Also remotely related with yellow and gold.

Phrases

  • Aleppo gall
  • apple gall
  • artichoke gall
  • bedeguar gall
  • beech gall
  • cane gall
  • Chinese gall
  • cola-nut gall
  • gall and wormwood
  • navel gall
  • vent one's gall

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.