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.] (Zoˆl.) 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.
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 (Zoˆl.), any insect that produces galls. -- Gall midge
(Zoˆl.), 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.
(Zoˆl.) See Gallfly.
Gall, v. t. (Dyeing) To impregnate with a decoction of gallnuts. Ure.
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.