gulp

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English

WOTD – 26 December 2015

Etymology

From Middle English gulpen, probably from Middle Dutch gulpen, golpen, related to West Frisian gjalpe, gjalpje, gjealpje (“to gush, spurt forth”), Danish gulpe, gylpe (“to gulp up, disgorge”), dialectal Swedish glapa (“to gulp down”), Old English gealpettan (“to gulp down, eat greedily, devour”). More at galp.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡʌlp/
  • Audio (AU):(file)

Noun

gulp (plural gulps)

  1. The usual amount swallowed.
    Synonym: slug
    • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4
      What the liquor was I do not know, but it was not so strong but that I could swallow it in great gulps and found it less burning than my burning throat.
  2. The sound of swallowing, sometimes indicating fear.
    • 1905, Upton Sinclair, chapter XVII, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 26 February 1906, →OCLC:
      Little Stanislovas was also trembling, and all but too frightened to speak. "They — they sent me to tell you — " he said, with a gulp.
    • 1994, James Charles Collins, Jerry I. Porras, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
      Indeed, the envisioned future should produce a bit of "the gulp factor" […] , there should be an almost audible "gulp".

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

gulp (third-person singular simple present gulps, present participle gulping, simple past and past participle gulped)

  1. To swallow eagerly, or in large draughts; to swallow up; to take down in one swallow.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:drink
    • (Can we date this quote by Cowper and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      He does not swallow, but he gulps it down.
    • (Can we date this quote by Fielding and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      The old man […] glibly gulped down the whole narrative.
  2. To react nervously by swallowing.
    • 1930, P. G. Wodehouse, A Damsel in Distress, 2004, page 198
      The man eyed Percy with a chilly eye. "Well," he said, "What's troublin you?" Percy gulped. The man's mere appearance was a sedative. "Er-nothing! […]"
    • 2003, Carl Deuker, High Heat, page 140
      I'd always been nervous-excited; this was nervous-terrified. When I finished puking, I sat down gulping air for a while, trying to pull myself together.
    • 2006, Nancy Anne Nicholson, Thin White Female in No Acute Distress: A Memoir, page 187
      My heart was beating madly and I was gulping nervous energy.

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Interjection

gulp

  1. An indication of (the sound of) an involuntary fear reaction in the form of a swallowing motion.
    Synonym: ulp
    • 1982, Gary Smalley, If Only He Knew, page 163:
      "Honey, I know you want to go to their home next week, but there's one thing that keeps happening when we're together that really drives me away from social gatherings in general. (Oh, what is it … gulp.) Well, I'm not sure I can really explain it without offending you. (Gulp, gulp.) Do you really want to talk about it? (Yes.) […]"

Further reading

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Noun

gulp f (plural gulpen, diminutive gulpje n)

  1. fly; opening in a man's pants to facilitate relieving himself

Descendants

  • Afrikaans: gulp

Turkmen

Noun

gulp

  1. lock
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