*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of galah

From Gamilaraay gilaa. * (fool): A connection with Malay gila (“mad”) has been suggested, but this explanation has not gained acceptance. ]

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A member of species Eolophus roseicapilla of pink and grey species of cockatoos, native to Australia. · A fool, an idiot.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Gamilaraay gilaa. * (fool): A connection with Malay gila (“mad”) has been suggested, but this explanation has not gained acceptance. ]

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentiongilaakld
  • Cognate mentiongilams
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kld",
        "3": "gilaa"
      },
      "expansion": "Gamilaraay gilaa"
    },
    {
      "name": "sense",
      "args": {
        "1": "fool"
      },
      "expansion": "(fool):"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ms",
        "2": "gila",
        "3": "",
        "4": "mad"
      },
      "expansion": "Malay gila (“mad”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "taxfmt",
      "args": {
        "1": "Eolophus roseicapilla",
        "2": "species"
      },
      "expansion": "Eolophus roseicapilla"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "gilaa",
      "gilaa#Gamilaraay"
    ],
    [
      "gila",
      "gila#Malay"
    ],
    [
      "Eolophus roseicapilla",
      "Eolophus roseicapilla#Translingual"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "galah",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A member of species Eolophus roseicapilla of pink and grey species of cockatoos, native to Australia.",
        "A fool, an idiot."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "15654694811e869fa5fece8ea635d250925b3da76abea621b4e65e98cca70927",
      "rawRecordSha256": "beba2af2cf2aa7b1a313b52df85d64c9f825457150956a9054c01088358dccc6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 158360
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for galah →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Z2FsYWg