gawk

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɔːk

Etymology 1

From a variant of gowk, from Middle English gowke, from Old Norse gaukr (“cuckoo”), from Proto-Germanic *gaukaz (“cuckoo”). Cognate with Danish gøg, Swedish gök, German Gauch, Old English ġēac. More at yeke.

Noun

gawk (plural gawks)

1. a cuckoo
2. a fool

Etymology 2

A Middle-Appalachian Americanism, since late 1800s, possibly misconstruing French "gauche," and leading to use of adj gawky for a person or process that is uncoordinated or awkward.

Noun

gawk (plural gawks)

1. a simpleton, stupid or clumsy person.

Etymology 3

Perhaps from Old Norse gá (“to heed”).

Verb

gawk (third-person singular simple present gawks, present participle gawking, simple past and past participle gawked)

1. To stare or gape stupidly
2. To stare conspicuously.

Translations

To stare or gape stupidly

• Czech: čučet (cs), čumět (cs)
• Danish: glane (da), glo (da), måbe (da)
• Finnish: töllistellä (fi)

• Russian: таращиться, смотреть с глупым видом
• Serbo-Croatian: blenuti (sh), buljiti (sh)

To stare conspicuously

• Serbo-Croatian: buljiti (sh), zuriti (sh)