Gall Is Bile, Boldness and a Growth on an Oak
Gall is bile, and by extension impudence. A third gall is a plant growth that once made ink.
Gall is bile, and figuratively bitterness or brazen impudence. A separate *gall* is a swelling on a plant caused by an insect, and oak galls mattered enormously: crushed with iron salts they made iron gall ink, the standard writing ink of Europe for more than a thousand years. The Magna Carta and most medieval manuscripts are written in it. A third *gall* means a sore from chafing, which gives *galling*.
- Bile. *The gall bladder.*
- Impudence. *He had the gall to ask.*
- A plant swelling. *An oak gall.*
- To chafe. *A galling saddle.*
- Old English — *gealla*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | gall | Gall. |
| Verb | gall | Galling. |
| Adjective | galling | Galling. |
| Compound | gall bladder | The gall bladder. |
| Compound | oak gall | An oak gall. |
- He had the gall to complain.Impudence.
- Oak galls made ink.History.
- The strap galled his shoulder.Chafing.
Iron gall ink
- Oak galls form when a wasp lays eggs in a twig
- They are rich in tannic acid, which is the key ingredient
- Crushed and mixed with iron salts they turn deep black
- The ink bites into parchment and is very hard to erase
- It was Europe's standard ink for over a millennium
Old English *gealla*, bile, of Germanic origin, related to Greek *khole*. The plant swelling is Latin *galla*.
What is an oak gall?
A swelling formed when a wasp lays eggs in an oak twig. Rich in tannic acid, galls were the basis of Europe's standard ink.
Why does gall mean impudence?
From bile, long associated with bitterness and boldness in the theory of the four humours.