gaffen

German

Etymology

From Middle High German gaffen (“to gape; to stare”), from Old High German *gaffōn, from Proto-Germanic *gapōną (“to gaze, observe”); influenced by and partly merged with Middle High German kaffen, a variant of kapfen (“to look, look surprised, gawk, wonder”), from Old High German kapfēn (“to look, stare, gawk, gape”), from Proto-West Germanic *kapēn. Cognate with Dutch gapen, English gape; and also to English cape, keep.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡafɱ̩/, /ˈɡafən/
• Rhymes: -afn̩

Verb

1. to stare at curiously, rubberneck

Derived terms

• Gaffer

Further reading

• “gaffen” in Duden online