Etymology

Formally, ME galle could be accounted for as native, from an Angl form of the attested OE n. gealla ‘a galled place on the skin’. Derivation or semantic input from the ON cognate represented by OIcel galli ‘defect, flaw’, however, might better explain the sense of the word as it occurs in the Gaw MS (see Attestation). Both are probably to be identified with the formally identical words for ‘bile’, cp. OE gealla (OED’s gall n.1) and OIcel gall (n.). Thus cp. further MLG galle ‘wounded spot on the skin’, MHG galle ‘swelling’ and OHG, OS galla ‘bile’ etc.

PGmc Ancestor

*gall-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

galli ‘defect, flaw’
(ONP galli (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Icel galli, Dan galle, OSw galle

OE Cognate

WS gealla (Angl *galla) ‘a galled place on the skin’

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

CC3c

Attestation

MED’s senses (2a) and (2b), ‘stain, impurity’ and ‘worthless person’ are only attested in Pe, Cl and Pa. Sense (1) is attested more broadly (incl. Chaucer and Lydgate) and correlates more obviously with that of the OE word. The place-name element (see MED, EPNE) occurs in Nhp. and War. as well as Not., Der. And Cmb.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Pe 189, 915, 1060; Cl 1022, 1525; Pat 285

Anderson argues against, e.g. MED, identifying the instances at Cl 1525 with this lexeme.

Bibliography

MED galle (n.2) , OED gall (n.2)[ http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/76230?isAdvanced=false&result=2&rskey=tDX5hA&], HTOED , de Vries galli, Mag. galli (1), AEW gealla (2), EPNE galla, gealla