# gallows tree

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A tree used as a gallows, a tree from which people are hanged (killed by hanging).

## Etymology
From earlier gallow tree, from Middle English galowetre, galwe tree, from Old English gealgtrēow, equivalent to gallows + tree. Cognate with Danish galgetræ, Swedish galgträd, Norwegian galgetre, Icelandic gálgatré. Compare also West Frisian galgebeam, German Galgenbaum.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gallows-tree