Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A genus of gallinaceous birds, of the family Phasianidæ, having as type the domestic hen, G. domesticus, some if not all varieties of which are the modified descendants of Gallus ferrugineus or bankivus; the jungle-fowl. Sonnerat's jungle-fowl, Gallus sonnerati, is another example. The game-cock is now probably the nearest to the wild original of all the varieties of the domestic fowl.
- n. In ichthyology, a genus of carangoid fishes.
- n. In conchology, same as Strombus.
- n. In classical antiquity, a priest of Cybele. The worship of this goddess was introduced into Rome from Phrygia in 204 b. c. It consisted essentially of wild and boisterous rites, and it was the usage that these priests should be eunuchs. The chief of the college was styled Archigallus.
- Same as gallows.
Wiktionary
- adj. Fit to be hanged; wicked; mischievous.
WordNet 3.0
- n. elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural)
- n. common domestic birds and related forms
Etymologies
- A corruption of gallows, used attributively. Chiefly Scots. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Camels are not beautiful, and their long under lip gives them an exceedingly "gallus" -- [Excuse the slang, no other word will describe it] -- expression.”
“A second set of flapless wings, the fourth is tucked behind the third; a lump of meat that never sings, the gallus is a wondrous bird.”
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“The gallus is a wondrous bird, its second wing grows from the first.”
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“Dr Wendy Anderson, from the Department of English Language at the University of Glasgow, said: We're interested in the currency of distinctively Scottish words, such as gallus, canny, muckle, sonsie and braw.”
“It consisted of one pair of breeches rolled up to the knees, with one patch on the "western hemisphere," one little shirt with one button at the top, one "gallus," and one invalid straw hat.”
“With one "gallus" to pants that were rolled to the knee,”
“I be a uncommon vool, maester, sartinly," blubbered George on one occasion when the miller was on the point of turning him off, as a preliminary step on the road to the "gallus," which Master Lake expressed his belief that he was "sartin sure to come to.”
“The Scots word is "gallus", a bare-faced, cheeky bravado that aims to add humiliation to a defeat.”
“What era is the marble statue of a young hercules from? the accession number is 03.12.13 and if you can please do the same for the bronze statue of the emperor trebonianus gallus accession number 05.30 thanks in advance”
“All these handsome, collectible birds descend from a common ancestor, Gallus gallus, the marauding scavenger of the bamboo forests in Indonesia.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘gallus’.
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Kinds of Gladiators
Only recently discovered there were many varieties, apparently distinguished largely by how they were armed. Many of these were taken from this Wikipedia list of Roman gladiator types, and from thi...
murmillo, gallus, thraex, hoplomachus, retiarius, secutor, laquearius, Samnite, bestiarius, bustuarius, dimachaerus, eques and 8 more...
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Goatboy's list
Goatboy's Word Emporium
juggernaut, abhor, discombobulate, fankle, oose, orchid, schadenfreude, doppleganger, garibaldi, coquette, arabesque, meme and 19 more...
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Rexicon
brazen, insipid, cuss, penchant, salacious, titillate, lurid, schlemiel, interlope, masquerade, supercilious, action-taking and 51 more...
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Under The Kilt
Anything related to Scottish culture, cuisine, language, history and so on. Does not include Gaelic words unless acceptable (roughly speaking!) in a wider sense.
brae, machair, loch, burn, inverness, shieling, camanachd, shinty, diddy, bhoy, ghillie, brownie and 393 more...
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The Innocents Abroad
Words rounded up while reading The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.
rakish, excursionist, bowelless, pilgrimizing, melodeon, woebegone, abaft, sextant, veriest, behindhand, stanchion, avast and 188 more...
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Ulysses
This is a list of the more difficult English words found in James Joyce's Ulysses. It will continually be updated as I read along. The list is in reverse chronological order, meaning that the last ...
equine, untonsured, corpuscle, prelate, parapet, dactyl, jejune, lancet, jalap, barbican, valise, dewsilky and 377 more...
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Extant Genera of Phasianidae and Scol...
... according to Wikipedia.
alectoris, dendragapus, bonasa, perdix, francolinus, tetrao, pavo, meleagris, lagopus, gallus, phasianus, bambusicola and 8 more...
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walkisco's Words
Tweets
Looking for tweets for gallus.
bilby Wot, no chooks in yer britches, Asa? Oct 18, 2008
asativum The connection with suspenders is elusive. Oct 18, 2008
super-rb gallus-a form of "gallows" and it has come into use as an adverb of forcible emphasis in much the same way as "bloody" has---"gallus bad weather we be getting." Oct 18, 2008
bilby Scots - self-confident, cheeky, daring or reckless. Dec 26, 2007