any abnormal vegetable growth or excrescence on plants, caused by various agents, as insects, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and mechanical injuries.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME galle < MF < L galla gallnut. See gall2]
A bitter, alkaline, brownish-yellow or greenish-yellow fluid that is secreted by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and discharged into the duodenum and aids in the emulsification, digestion, and absorption of fats. Also called gall1.
Bitterness of temper; ill humor; irascibility.
Either of two bodily humors, black bile or yellow bile, in ancient and medieval physiology.
"bile," O.E. galla (Anglian), gealla (W. Saxon), from P.Gmc. *gallon- (cf. O.N. gall, O.H.G. galla), from PIE base *ghol-/*ghel- "gold, yellow, yellowish-green" (cf. Gk. khole, see cholera; L. fel; perhaps also O.E. geolo "yellow," Gk. khloros). Informal sense of "impudence, boldness" first recorded Amer.Eng. 1882; but meaning "embittered spirit, rancor" is from c.1200.
"sore spot on a horse," O.E. gealla "painful swelling," from L. galla "gall, lump on plant," originally "oak apple," of uncertain origin. Perhaps from or influenced by gall (1) on notion of "poison-sore." The verb meaning "to make sore by chafing" is from c.1440; fig. sense of "harass, irritate" is from 1573.
gallAudio Help (gôl) Pronunciation Key
An abnormal swelling of plant tissue, caused by injury or by parasitic organisms such as insects, mites, nematodes, and bacteria. Parasites stimulate the production of galls by secreting chemical irritants on or in the plant tissue. Galls stimulated by egg-laying parasites typically provide a protective environment in which the eggs can hatch and the pupae develop, and they usually do only minor damage to the host plant. Gall-stimulating fungi and microorganisms, such as the bacterium that causes crown gall, are generally considered to be plant diseases.
Chol"er\, n. [OE. coler, F. col[`e]re anger, L. cholera a bilious complaint, fr. Gr. ? cholera, fr. ?, ?, bile. See Gall, and cf. Cholera.]1. The bile; -- formerly supposed to be the seat and cause of irascibility. [Obs.] His [Richard Hooker's] complexion . . . was sanguine, with a mixture of choler; and yet his motion was slow. --I. Warton. 2. Irritation of the passions; anger; wrath. He is rash and very sudden in choler. --Shak.
Gall\, n.[OE. galle, gal, AS. gealla; akin to D. gal, OS. & OHG. galla, Icel. gall, SW. galla, Dan. galde, L. fel, Gr. ?, and prob. to E. yellow. ? See Yellow, and cf. Choler]1. (Physiol.) The bitter, alkaline, viscid fluid found in the gall bladder, beneath the liver. It consists of the secretion of the liver, or bile, mixed with that of the mucous membrane of the gall bladder. 2. The gall bladder. 3. Anything extremely bitter; bitterness; rancor. He hath . . . compassed me with gall and travail. --Lam. iii. 5. Comedy diverted without gall. --Dryden. 4. Impudence; brazen assurance. [Slang] Gall bladder (Anat.), the membranous sac, in which the bile, or gall, is stored up, as secreted by the liver; the cholecystis. See Illust. of Digestive apparatus. Gall duct, a duct which conveys bile, as the cystic duct, or the hepatic duct. Gall sickness, a remitting bilious fever in the Netherlands. --Dunglison. Gall of the earth (Bot.), an herbaceous composite plant with variously lobed and cleft leaves, usually the Prenanthes serpentaria.
Gall\, n. [F. galle, noix de galle, fr. L. galla.] (Zo["o]l.) An excrescence of any form produced on any part of a plant by insects or their larvae. They are most commonly caused by small Hymenoptera and Diptera which puncture the bark and lay their eggs in the wounds. The larvae live within the galls. Some galls are due to aphids, mites, etc. See Gallnut. Note: The galls, or gallnuts, of commerce are produced by insects of the genus Cynips, chiefly on an oak (Quercus infectoria or Lusitanica) of Western Asia and Southern Europe. They contain much tannin, and are used in the manufacture of that article and for making ink and a black dye, as well as in medicine. Gall insect (Zo["o]l.), any insect that produces galls. Gall midge (Zo["o]l.), any small dipterous insect that produces galls. Gall oak, the oak (Quercus infectoria) which yields the galls of commerce. Gall of glass, the neutral salt skimmed off from the surface of melted crown glass;- called also glass gall and sandiver. --Ure. Gall wasp. (Zo["o]l.) See Gallfly.
Gall\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Galled; p. pr. & vb. n. Galling.] [OE. gallen; cf. F. galer to scratch, rub, gale scurf, scab, G. galle a disease in horses' feet, an excrescence under the tongue of horses; of uncertain origin. Cf. Gall gallnut.]1. To fret and wear away by friction; to hurt or break the skin of by rubbing; to chafe; to injure the surface of by attrition; as, a saddle galls the back of a horse; to gall a mast or a cable. I am loth to gall a new-healed wound. --Shak. 2. To fret; to vex; as, to be galled by sarcasm. They that are most galled with my folly, They most must laugh. --Shak. 3. To injure; to harass; to annoy; as, the troops were galled by the shot of the enemy. In our wars against the French of old, we used to gall them with our longbows, at a greater distance than they could shoot their arrows. --Addison.
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Audio Help [gawl] Pronunciation Key 
gall, bile
