Where does “gape” come from?
Gape comes from Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa, a verb of uncertain ultimate origin.
gape (English): To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily,...
Definitions
- To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily,...
Ancestry of “gape”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | gapen | — |
| 2 | Old Norse | gapa | to gape, open the mouth wide |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | gapōną | to gaze, observe |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeh₁y- | to yawn, gape; to gape, be wide open; to gape,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰih₁- | — |
Words derived from “gape”