Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gallows bird

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.07 in modern English

Syllables: gal-lows bird
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged.

Archaic

Example Sentences

"Everybody along Long Wharf knows you called him a gallows bird. He's not used to it."
"The story of the man who bit off his father's nose for rearing him as a gallows bird is as old as Aesop, but no known source before Brant mentions the son's name."
"Before me stood not Philippe but a gallows bird no respectable citizen would want to meet up with on a lonely road."

Etymology

From gallows + bird. Compare German construction Galgenvogel (literally “gallows-fowl" or "gallows-bird”), and French gibier de potence, as well as similar English jailbird.

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

gallows birds (plural) gallows-bird (alternative) gallowsbird (alternative)

Phrases

die by hanging kill by hanging

Frequently Paired Words

jailbird die by hanging hangworthy kill by hanging

Synonyms

hangdog wag-halter crack-hemp crack-rope gallows gallows bird hang dog hempie scapegallows slip-halter

Questions

What does gallows bird mean?: A person who deserves, or is likely, to be hanged.
Where does gallows bird come from?: From gallows + bird. Compare German construction Galgenvogel (literally “gallows-fowl" or "gallows-bird”), and French gibier de potence, as well as similar English jailbird.

How to pronounce gallows bird

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gallows bird”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “gallows bird” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.