noun
- Abnormal growths or swellings on oak trees caused by parasitic wasps; historically used to produce tannic acid for ink and dyes.
Usage: Usually plural; archaic/historical usage; Also called gall nuts or oak galls
Examples
- Medieval scribes relied on oxgalls to create the iron gall ink used in manuscripts.
- The oxgalls were harvested from oak trees and processed to extract tannic acid.
- Oxgalls were a valuable commodity in the textile industry for producing dyes.
- The production of oxgall ink was a skilled craft that required careful preparation.