Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Gall
Gall
(ga̤l)
, Noun.
1.
(Physiol.)
The bitter, alkaline, viscid fluid found in the gall bladder, beneath the liver. It consists of the secretion of the liver, or bile, mixed with that of the mucous membrane of the gall bladder.
2.
The gall bladder.
3.
Anything extremely bitter; bitterness; rancor.
He hath . . . compassed me with
gall
and travail. Lam. iii. 5.
Comedy diverted without
gall
. Dryden.
4.
Impudence; brazen assurance.
[Slang]
Gall bladder
(Anat.)
, the membranous sac, in which the bile, or gall, is stored up, as secreted by the liver; the cholecystis. See Illust. of Digestive apparatus.
– Gall duct
, a duct which conveys bile, as the cystic duct, or the hepatic duct.
– Gall sickness
, a remitting bilious fever in the Netherlands.
Dunglison.
– Gall of the earth
(Bot.)
, an herbaceous composite plant with variously lobed and cleft leaves, usually the
Prenanthes serpentaria
.Gall
(ga̤l)
, Noun.
[F.
galle
, noix de galle
, fr. L. galla
.] (Zool.)
An excrescence of any form produced on any part of a plant by insects or their larvae. They are most commonly caused by small Hymenoptera and Diptera which puncture the bark and lay their eggs in the wounds. The larvae live within the galls. Some galls are due to aphids, mites, etc. See
Gallnut
. ☞ The galls, or gallnuts, of commerce are produced by insects of the genus
Cynips
, chiefly on an oak (Quercus infectoria
syn. Quercus Lusitanica
) of Western Asia and Southern Europe. They contain much tannin, and are used in the manufacture of that article and for making ink and a black dye, as well as in medicine. Gall insect
(Zool.)
, any insect that produces galls.
– Gall midge
(Zool.)
, any small dipterous insect that produces galls.
– Gall oak
, the oak (
– Quercus infectoria
) which yields the galls of commerce. Gall of glass
, the neutral salt skimmed off from the surface of melted crown glass;- called also
glass gall
and sandiver
. Ure.
– Gall wasp
. (Zool.)
See
Gallfly
.Gall
,Verb.
T.
(Dyeing)
To impregnate with a decoction of gallnuts.
Ure.
Gall
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Galled
(ga̤ld)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Galling
.] [OE.
gallen
; cf. F. galer
to scratch, rub, gale
scurf, scab, G. galle
a disease in horses’ feet, an excrescence under the tongue of horses; of uncertain origin. Cf. Gall
gallnut.] 1.
To fret and wear away by friction; to hurt or break the skin of by rubbing; to chafe; to injure the surface of by attrition;
as, a saddle
galls
the back of a horse; to gall
a mast or a cable.I am loth to
gall
a new-healed wound. Shakespeare
2.
To fret; to vex;
as, to be
. galled
by sarcasmThey that are most
They most must laugh.
galled
with my folly,They most must laugh.
Shakespeare
3.
To injure; to harass; to annoy;
as, the troops were
. galled
by the shot of the enemyIn our wars against the French of old, we used to
gall
them with our longbows, at a greater distance than they could shoot their arrows. Addison.
Gall
,Verb.
I.
To scoff; to jeer.
[R.]
Shak.
Gall
,Noun.
A wound in the skin made by rubbing.
Webster 1828 Edition
Gall
GALL
,Noun.
1.
In the animal economy, the bile, a bitter, a yellowish green fluid, secreted in the glandular substance of the liver. It is glutinous or imperfectly fluid, like oil.2.
Any thing extremely bitter.3.
Rancor; malignity.4.
Anger; bitterness of mind.Definition 2024
gäll
gäll
Swedish
Adjective
gäll (comparative gällare, superlative gällast)
- shrill; high-pitched
Declension
| Inflection of gäll | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite/attributive | Positive | Comparative | Superlative2 |
| Common singular | gäll | gällare | gällast |
| Neuter singular | gällt | gällare | gällast |
| Plural | gälla | gällare | gällast |
| Definite | Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
| Masculine singular1 | gälle | gällare | gällaste |
| All | gälla | gällare | gällaste |
| 1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role. | |||
Etymology 2
From the verb gala (“to crow”), Old Swedish gæld
Noun
gäll n
Declension
| Inflection of gäll | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | gäll | gället | gäll | gällen |
| Genitive | gälls | gällets | gälls | gällens |
Related terms
- hanegäll
Etymology 3
From Old Swedish giæld, præstagiæld, corresponding to gäld (“payment”) (to the priest)
Noun
gäll n
Declension
| Inflection of gäll | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | gäll | gället | gäll | gällen |
| Genitive | gälls | gällets | gälls | gällens |
Related terms
- gäld
- prästgäll
Synonyms
Verb
gäll
- imperative of gälla.
See also
- bävergäll
References
- gäll in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)
- gäll in Svenska Akademiens Ordlista över svenska språket (13th ed., online)