gawk

gawk · noun¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*gaukaz“cuckoo”
2. Old Norse · derived fromgaukr“cuckoo”
3. Middle English · inherited fromgowke
4. English todaygawk

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.

gawk · verb, noun²

1. Old Norse · derived fromgá“to heed”
2. English todaygawk

Perhaps from English dialectal gaw (“to stare; gawk”) + -k, as in talk, stalk, etc., ultimately from Old Norse gá (“to heed”).

Words from the same roots