gal
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Page categories
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Translingual
Etymology
Clipping of English Galoli.
Symbol
gal
See also
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Galoli terms
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡæl/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -æl
Etymology 1
From gallon.
Noun
gal (plural gal or gals)
- Abbreviation of gallon.
Etymology 2
From (non-rhotic) dialectal pronunciations of girl, attested since 1795; compare gell, g'hal.[1]
Noun
gal (plural gals)
- (colloquial) A woman or girl.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:girl, Thesaurus:woman
- Coordinate term: guy
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
Etymology 3
Shortened from galileo.
Noun
- A galileo (unit of acceleration).
Derived terms
References
- ^ “gal”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present., “gal”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present., Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “gal”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
See also
Anagrams
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch gal. Cognate to English gall.
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Noun
gal (uncountable)
- The bodily fluid bile
Bouyei
Etymology
From Proto-Tai *p.qaːᴬ (“leg”). Cognate with Thai ขา (kǎa), Northern Thai ᨡᩣ, Lao ຂາ (khā), Lü ᦃᦱ (ẋaa), Shan ၶႃ (khǎa), Tai Nüa ᥑᥣᥴ (xáa), Ahom 𑜁𑜡 (khā), Zhuang ga.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ka˨˦/
Noun
gal
Catalan
Pronunciation
Adjective
gal (feminine gal·la, masculine plural gals, feminine plural gal·les)
Noun
gal m (plural gals, feminine gal·la, feminine plural gal·les)
- Gaul (native or inhabitant of the historical region of Gaul, or poetically the modern nation of France) (usually male)
Noun
gal m (uncountable)
Related terms
Further reading
- “gal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “gal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
- “gal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “gal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Chinese
Etymology
Short for galgame, borrowed from Japanese ギャルゲーム (gyaru gēmu), which is wasei eigo (和製英語; pseudo-anglicism) derived from gal + game.
Noun
gal
- (ACG, video games) galge (video or computer game centered around interactions with attractive anime-style girls)
- 推gal ― tuī gal ― to play galge
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡaːˀl/, [ˈɡ̊æˀl]
Etymology 1
From Old Danish galæn, from Old Norse galinn (“enchanted, mad”), a past participle of gala (“to sing, chant”) (Danish gale (“to crow”)).
Adjective
gal (neuter galt, plural and definite singular attributive gale)
References
- “gale,2” in Den Danske Ordbog
Etymology 2
From Old Norse gal (“shouting”), derived from the verb gala (“to sing, chant”) (Danish gale (“to crow”)).
Noun
gal n (singular definite galet, plural indefinite gal)
- crow (the sound of a cock)
Declension
| neuter gender |
singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | gal | galet | gal | galene |
| genitive | gals | galets | gals | galenes |
References
- “gale,1” in Den Danske Ordbog
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
gal
- imperative of gale
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɣɑl/
Audio: (file) - Hyphenation: gal
- Rhymes: -ɑl
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch galle, from Old Dutch galla, from Proto-Germanic *gallō.
Noun
gal f (uncountable)
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 2
Ultimately from Latin galla. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
Noun
gal f (plural gallen, diminutive galletje n)
- a gall (abnormal growth on a plant caused by foreign organisms)
Derived terms
Further reading
- gal on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia nl
Anagrams
Emilian
Etymology
Noun
gal m
French
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Noun
gal m (plural gals)
- a unit of acceleration equal to one centimetre per second per second
Hamer-Banna
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡál/, [ɡál̥]
Noun
gal
- enemy
- koró róshon gállo tê, koró gal wánane
- these aren't the 'sling' enemies, these are diffferent enemies
- Amhara (a member of a Semitic people of Ethiopia)
Usage notes
In the sense of "Amhara," preceded by háilesellási (“Haile Selassie”), referring to the former emperor of Ethiopia:
- háilesellási gállo báakorra mɛ́ɛ gɛ́labanshet
- the Amhara are running down from Baako to Dhaasanac
- (literally, “the 'Haile Selassie' enemies are running and going from Baako to Dhaasanac”)
References
- Petrollino, Sara (2016) A Grammar of Hamar: A South Omotic language of Ethiopia[2], Leiden University, pages 231, 259, 303
Icelandic
Etymology
From gala (“to crow”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kaːl/
- Rhymes: -aːl
Noun
gal n (genitive singular gals, no plural)
Declension
| singular | ||
|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | gal | galið |
| accusative | gal | galið |
| dative | gali | galinu |
| genitive | gals | galsins |
Irish
Etymology
From Old Irish gal,[1] from Proto-Celtic *galā (“ability”) (compare Welsh gallu (“be able”)).
Pronunciation
Noun
gal f or m (genitive singular gaile, nominative plural gala)
- warlike ardor
- valor, fury
- vapor, steam
- boiling heat
- puff, whiff (of smoke, hot air)
- fit, bout, turn
- demand
Declension
Derived terms
- láth gaile
- tuirbín gaile (“steam turbine”)
Noun
gal m (genitive singular gail, nominative plural gala)
Declension
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mutation
| radical | lenition | eclipsis |
|---|---|---|
| gal | ghal | ngal |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
- ^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 gal”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 122, page 65
Further reading
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “gal”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 512; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “gal”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “gal”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
- “gal”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025
Lithuanian
Etymology
Clipping of gãli bū́ti (literally “it may be”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ɡâːl]
Conjunction
gál
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old English gāl (“lustful, wanton”), from Proto-West Germanic *gail, from Proto-Germanic *gailaz.
Adjective
gal (Early Middle English)
- lascivious, lustful
- c. 1225, “Oðer dale: fif ƿittes”, in Ancrene Ƿiſſe (MS. Corpus Christi 402)[3], Herefordshire, published c. 1235, folio 15, verso; republished at Cambridge: Parker Library on the Web, 2018 January:
- naƿt ane euch fleſchlich hondlunge: ah ȝetten euch gal ƿoꝛd: iſ ladlich vilainie […]
- Not just each amorous caress, but even each lustful word is revolting depravity […]
- Sweche pinen he þolien schal þat her wes of his fles ful gal And wolde louien his fleses wil. — Eleven Pains of Hell, 1300
- overly fond of
- Gripes freteþ hoere mawen And hoere inward everuidel, Ne be þe þarof no so gal, Eft hoe werpeþ al in al. — Eleven Pains of Hell, 1300
Derived terms
- galich, gollich (“lustful, lascivious”)
- galnesse, golnesse (“lustfulness, lasciviousness”)
References
- “gōl, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Nalca
Noun
gal
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology 1
From Old Norse galinn, from gala (“sing bewitching songs, in actuality bewitched by magical singing”).
Adjective
gal (neuter singular galt, definite singular and plural gale, comparative galere, indefinite superlative galest, definite superlative galeste)
Derived terms
- galehus
- galskap
- (insane; crazy): stormannsgal
- (with a very strong interest in): bilgal, fartsgal, guttegal, jentegal, sexgal
- (phrases): bære galt av sted, det er aldri så galt at det ikke er godt for noe, gå galt, riv ruskende gal, vill og gal
Etymology 2
Related to the verb gale.
Noun
gal n (definite singular galet, indefinite plural gal, definite plural gala or galene)
Derived terms
Related terms
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
gal
- imperative of gale
References
- “gal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Anagrams
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology 1
From gala (“to howl”).
Noun
gal n (definite singular galet, indefinite plural gal, definite plural gala)
Related terms
- galing f
Etymology 2
Abbreviation.
Proper noun
gal (upper case Gal)
- abbreviation of galatarbrevet
Etymology 3
Possibly from English. An abbreviation.
Symbol
gal
- symbol used to represent a gallon
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
gal
- imperative of gala
References
- “gal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Etymology 5
Adjective
gal (masculine and feminine gal, neuter galt, definite singular and plural gale, comparative galare, indefinite superlative galast, definite superlative galaste)
- (nonstandard) galen
Etymology 6
Noun
gal m
Anagrams
Occitan
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (East Vivaro-Alpine) [ˈdʒal][1]
- IPA(key): (Provençal) [ˈɡau̯]
- IPA(key): (East Languedocien) [ˈɡal]
- IPA(key): (West Languedocien) [ˈɡal]
Audio (West Languedoc): (file)
Noun
gal m (plural gals)
Related terms
- galhar
- galina
References
- Müller, Daniela. 2011. Developments of the lateral in Occitan dialects and their Romance and cross-linguistic context. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Toulouse.
- ^ Müller 2011: 43. Likewise for the other three pronunciations.
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *gail.
Cognate with Old Saxon gēl, Dutch geil (“salacious, lustful”), Old High German geil (German geil (“lustful”)), Old Norse geiligr (“beautiful”). The Indo-European root may also be the source of Lithuanian gailùs (“sharp, biting”), Russian зело́ (zeló, “very”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡɑːl/
Adjective
gāl (comparative gālra, superlative gālost)
- wanton, lustful; wicked
- And se Iouis wearð swa swyðe gal þæt he on his agenre swyster gewifode.
- And Jove became so depraved that he married his own sister.
- (Wulfstan, De Falsis Deis)
Declension
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | gāl | gāl | gāl |
| Accusative | gālne | gāle | gāl |
| Genitive | gāles | gālre | gāles |
| Dative | gālum | gālre | gālum |
| Instrumental | gāle | gālre | gāle |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | gāle | gāla, gāle | gāl |
| Accusative | gāle | gāla, gāle | gāl |
| Genitive | gālra | gālra | gālra |
| Dative | gālum | gālum | gālum |
| Instrumental | gālum | gālum | gālum |
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | gāla | gāle | gāle |
| Accusative | gālan | gālan | gāle |
| Genitive | gālan | gālan | gālan |
| Dative | gālan | gālan | gālan |
| Instrumental | gālan | gālan | gālan |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | gālan | gālan | gālan |
| Accusative | gālan | gālan | gālan |
| Genitive | gālra, gālena | gālra, gālena | gālra, gālena |
| Dative | gālum | gālum | gālum |
| Instrumental | gālum | gālum | gālum |
Descendants
Old French
Alternative forms
Etymology
Uncertain. Perhaps from Transalpine Gaulish *gallos.
Noun
gal oblique singular, m (oblique plural gaus or gax or gals, nominative singular gaus or gax or gals, nominative plural gal)
- a rock
Derived terms
References
- “galet”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
- Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition
Old Irish
Etymology
From Proto-Celtic *galā.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡal/
Noun
gal f (genitive gaile)
- ardor
- fury
- valor
- c. 760 Blathmac mac Con Brettan, published in "A study of the lexicon of the poems of Blathmac Son of Cú Brettan" (2017; PhD thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth), edited and with translations by Siobhán Barrett, stanza 130
- Co rígaib ránaib cét ngal co láthib do·ruíchetar.
- With the noble kings of a hundred feats of valour, they have taken revenge with warriors.
- c. 760 Blathmac mac Con Brettan, published in "A study of the lexicon of the poems of Blathmac Son of Cú Brettan" (2017; PhD thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth), edited and with translations by Siobhán Barrett, stanza 130
Inflection
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | galL | gailL | galaH |
| vocative | galL | gailL | galaH |
| accusative | gailN | gailL | galaH |
| genitive | gaileH | galL | galN |
| dative | gailL | galaib | galaib |
- H = triggers aspiration
- L = triggers lenition
- N = triggers nasalization
Derived terms
Many derivatives of gal serve as verbal nouns to compounds of fichid (“to fight”).
Gal is also a common as the second element of male given names in Old Irish. Despite all these given names being male, they inherit gal's feminine ā-stem declension.
- Áedgal
- Ailgal
- Artgal
- Bodbgal
- Congal
- Cuithgal
- Donngal
- Dúngal
- Échtgal
- Éitgal
- Fergal
- Fidgal
- Gormgal
- Lergal
- Móengal
- Murgal
- Nárgal
- Rudgal
- Sóergal
- Tnúthgal
- Úargal
Descendants
Mutation
| radical | lenition | nasalization |
|---|---|---|
| gal | gal pronounced with /ɣ-/ |
ngal |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Further reading
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “gal”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Old Norse
Verb
gal
- second-person singular present active imperative of gala
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɡal/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -al
- Syllabification: gal
- Homophone: Gal
Etymology 1
From Latin.
Noun
| Chemical element | |
|---|---|
| Ga | |
| Previous: cynk (Zn) | |
| Next: german (Ge) | |
gal m inan
Declension
Etymology 2
Named in honour of Galileo Galilei
Noun
gal m inan
- A galileo
Declension
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Noun
gal
- genitive plural of gala
Further reading
- gal in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- gal in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Rohingya
Alternative forms
- 𐴒𐴝𐴓𐴢 (gal) — Hanifi Rohingya script
Noun
gal (Hanifi spelling 𐴒𐴝𐴓𐴢)
Romagnol
Etymology
From Latin găllum (“rooster”), accusative of Latin gallus (“rooster”).
Pronunciation
- (Central Romagnol): IPA(key): [ˈɡaɐ̯l]
- (Ville Unite):
Noun
gal m (plural ghël)
- rooster (male domestic fowl)
- September 2012, Loris Pasini, E’ gal in la Ludla, il Papiro, page 15: E’ gal.
- The rooster.
- September 2012, Loris Pasini, E’ gal in la Ludla, il Papiro, page 15:
References
- Masotti, Adelmo (1996) Vocabolario Romagnolo Italiano [Romagnol-Italian dictionary] (in Italian), Bologna: Zanichelli, page 246
Romanian
Etymology 1
Noun
gal m (plural gali)
- Gaul (native or inhabitant of the historical region of Gaul, or poetically the modern nation of France) (usually male)
Etymology 2
Noun
gal m (plural gali)
- (physics) unit of measurement of acceleration, equal to 1 centimeter per second squared
See also
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
Noun
gal m (genitive singular gail, plural gail)
Etymology 2
From Old Irish gal (“warlike ardour, fury, valour”).
Noun
gal m (genitive singular gail, plural gail)
Mutation
| radical | lenition |
|---|---|
| gal | ghal |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
- ^ Oftedal, M. (1956) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
- ^ Rev. C. M. Robertson (1902) “Skye Gaelic”, in Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, Volume XXIII: 1898-99[1], Gaelic Society of Inverness, pages 54-88
Further reading
- Edward Dwelly (1911) “gal”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary][4], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 gal”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Serbo-Croatian
Alternative forms
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *galъ.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡâːl/
- Hyphenation: gal
Adjective
gȃl (Cyrillic spelling га̑л)
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Somali
Verb
gal
Sumerian
Romanization
gal
- romanization of 𒃲 (gal)
Swedish
Verb
gal
- inflection of gala:
- present indicative
- imperative
Anagrams
Welsh
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡal/
Noun
gal
- soft mutation of cal
Mutation
| radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
|---|---|---|---|
| cal | gal | nghal | chal |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Zou
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡal˧/
Noun
gal
References
- Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 44