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gall²

(gôl)

1. A skin sore caused by friction and abrasion: a saddle gall.

a. Exasperation; vexation.

b. The cause of such vexation.

v. galled, gall·ing, galls

v.tr.

1. To irk or exasperate; vex: It galled me to have to wait outside.

2. To wear away or make sore by abrasion; chafe:

v.intr.

To become worn or sore by abrasion.

[Middle English galle, from Old English gealla, possibly from Latin galla, nutgall.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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