gawk
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gawk¹
- /ɡɔːk/
- /ɡɑk/ cot caught merger
Rhymes with -ɔːk
Where it comes from
From a variant of gowk, from Middle English gowke, goke, from Old Norse gaukr (“cuckoo”), from Proto-Germanic *gaukaz (“cuckoo”). Cognate with Danish gøg, Swedish gök, German Gauch, Old English ġēac.
Compare also French gauche, and English gawky and gallock.
noun gawks
- A cuckoo; (sometimes by extension) any gawky bird. His morning prey he craveth; So crowed the gawk of carrion⁶ […] (6) Gawk of carrion = [kenning for] raven.
- A fool; a simpleton; a stupid or clumsy person. A Duke of Weissenfels, for instance; foolish old gawk, whom Wilhehmina Princess Royal recollects for his distracted notions, — which were well shaken out of him by Wilhelmina's Brother afterwards.
gawk²
- /ɡɔːk/
- /ɡɑk/ cot caught merger
Rhymes with -ɔːk
Where it comes from
Perhaps from English dialectal gaw (“to stare; gawk”) + -k, as in talk, stalk, etc., ultimately from Old Norse gá (“to heed”).
verb gawks · gawking · gawked
noun gawks
- A conspicuous or stupid stare or gape; an instance of gawking. ... the gawks and gapes of townsfolk as stares of admiration.
Translations
Every language
noun stupid or clumsy person
| Español | mentecato |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Tölpel, Einfaltspinsel, Tollpatsch |
| Русский | раззява razzjava |
verb to stare or gape stupidly
| Français | badauder, bayer aux corneilles, béer |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | blöde glotzen |
| Русский | тара́щиться taráščitʹsja, пя́литься pjálitʹsja, смотре́ть с глу́пым ви́дом smotrétʹ s glúpym vídom |
verb to stare conspicuously
| Español | sapear |
|---|
Talk about this word "gawk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gawk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gawk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gawk "gawk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gawk.Cite this
@misc{gawk_2026,
title = {gawk},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gawk},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
