gall

gall — noun

IPA/ɡɔːl/
KK[ɡˈɔl]IPA/ɡɔːl/
  • gallsingular
  • gallsplural

1. the kind of bold rudeness someone shows when they say or do something inappropri

1.nounC1
Definition

the kind of bold rudeness someone shows when they say or do something inappropriate without seeming to feel any shame or embarrassment about it

Example

Owen had the gall to ask for a raise after missing three deadlines in a row.

have the gall to + verb for shameless requests

I cannot believe the gall of that man, walking into our garden and picking the tomatoes.

the gall of + noun phrase for disbelief at someone's nerve

Common collocations
  • have the gall to
  • the sheer gall
  • unmitigated gall
Synonyms
  • nerve

    more common in everyday speech; same meaning

  • audacity

    more formal; emphasizes shocking boldness

  • impudence

    formal; stresses disrespect to authority

  • cheek

    British informal; lighter, often half-admiring

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

have the gall to + verb

the gall of + noun

Usage Note

Frequently follows 'the' + adjective ('the unmitigated gall', 'the sheer gall') to express the speaker's outrage. Most natural in spoken English and informal writing; distinguish from sense 4 (bitterness) which is literary and never takes 'the gall to' + verb.

Common Mistakes

He showed gall to the customers.
He had the gall to insult the customers.
'gall' in this sense is almost always in the fixed pattern 'have the gall to' or 'the gall of', not used like an action you 'show' to someone.

2. a strong feeling of bitter anger or hatred against someone or something, used ma

2.nounC2
Definition

a strong feeling of bitter anger or hatred against someone or something, used mainly in literary or biblical writing

Example

Years after the divorce, Maeve still spoke of her former husband with undisguised gall.

speak with gall — typical literary collocation

The defeated general's letters were full of gall toward the politicians who had abandoned him on the battlefield.

full of gall — common in older prose

Common collocations
  • full of gall
  • wormwood and gall
  • feel gall
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the gall of + noun

wormwood and gall

Usage Note

Mostly literary or biblical (compare 'wormwood and gall'). Subject is usually a wronged or defeated person; modern speakers prefer 'bitterness' or 'resentment'. Distinguish from sense 1 (rude boldness): sense 2 is an inner emotion, never said of someone's behaviour.

Common Mistakes

She had a lot of gall after losing the election.' (ambiguous in modern English — sounds like sense 1)
She felt deep gall after losing the election.
pair sense-2 'gall' with internal-feeling verbs (feel, harbour) to keep the bitterness reading.

3. a hard round growth that appears on a plant's leaves, stems, or roots after an i

3.nounC2
Definition

a hard round growth that appears on a plant's leaves, stems, or roots after an insect, fungus, or injury has damaged the tissue

Example

Tamar pointed to the strange round galls hanging from the lower branches of the oak tree.

galls on + tree part — typical botanical use

The biology students collected dozens of galls from the rose bushes for their classroom project.

Common collocations
  • oak gall
  • leaf gall
  • gall wasp
Synonyms
  • growth

    everyday word; less precise

  • swelling

    broader; covers animal tissue too

Grammar Patterns

a gall on + plant part

form a gall

Usage Note

Specialist botanical term; usually countable ('a gall', 'several galls'). Common modifying nouns: oak gall, leaf gall, root gall, gall wasp. Distinguish from sense 5 (skin sore on an animal) — same word, different surface.

4. a green-brown liquid with a sharp bitter taste that the liver produces to break

4.nounC2
Definition

a green-brown liquid with a sharp bitter taste that the liver produces to break down fats during digestion

Example

After vomiting for hours on the flight, Soraya could taste only gall at the back of her throat.

taste of gall — sensory description

The medical illustration showed gall flowing from the liver into the small intestine.

Common collocations
  • gall bladder
  • ox gall
Synonyms
  • bile

    the standard modern term in biology and medicine

Grammar Patterns

taste of gall

gall bladder

Usage Note

Older or literary word for what is now usually called 'bile'. Mostly appears in 'gall bladder' (the small organ that stores it) and in older medical or culinary writing. Sense 2 (bitterness) probably grew out of this physical meaning.

5. a painful raw spot on the skin of a working animal — usually a horse whose saddl

5.nounC2
Definition

a painful raw spot on the skin of a working animal — usually a horse whose saddle or harness has been rubbing the same place for too long

Example

Selim noticed a fresh gall on the mare's back where the new saddle had been pressing.

a gall on + body part — typical equestrian use

The riding instructor warned the children to check their ponies for galls before every lesson.

Common collocations
  • saddle gall
  • harness gall
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

a gall on + body part

Usage Note

Specialist equestrian / veterinary term, usually countable. Distinguish from sense 3 (plant swelling): both are visible bumps, but sense 5 is an open or raw sore on an animal caused by friction, while sense 3 is a hard round growth on a plant caused by insects or fungi.

gall — verb

IPA/ɡɔːl/
KK[ɡˈɔl]IPA/ɡɑːl/

Word family

  • galling
    adjectiveC1
  • gallingly
    adverbC2
  • gall bladder
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe making someone feel annoyed, but they sit at different points on a register and intensity scale. 'Irritate' is the most neutral and the broadest — anything from a noisy fan to a rude reply can irritate you. 'Irk' is slightly more formal and points to a quieter, internal annoyance you keep to yourself. 'Vex', the most old-fashioned of the set, suggests a worry that nags at you for some time. 'Gall' and 'rankle' both carry a sense of injustice: you feel annoyed because something seems unfair or undeserved. 'Gall' tends to be active and immediate — it galls Mauricio to admit a rival was right — while 'rankle' emphasizes how that feeling lingers and slowly grows over weeks or years.

gall ↗irritate ↗irk ↗vex ↗rankle

Common collocations

Nouns

  • gall bladder
  • gall wasp
  • oak gall
  • saddle gall

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have the gall to
  • the sheer gall of
  • wormwood and gall

Prepositions

  • with gall
  • of gall

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanOld EnglishLatinMiddle EnglishEnglish

Modern 'gall' brings together two old words that happened to share a spelling. The 'bile' meaning comes from Old English 'gealla', a body-fluid word shared with many Germanic and Indo-European languages and ultimately linked to a colour root meaning 'yellow' or 'green'. The 'sore on the skin' and 'plant growth' meanings come from Latin 'galla', meaning the oak gall that medieval Europe valued for making ink and dye. By Middle English the two words had fallen together, and the 'bile' sense extended into the figurative 'bitterness' meaning and, much later in American English, into the modern 'shameless boldness' use.