Where does “gawkling” come from?
gawkling (English) comes from English gawk, from English gowk, from Middle English gowke, from Old Norse gaukr, from Proto-Germanic gaukaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰAuǵ-.
gawkling (English): One who is awkward or gawky
Definitions
- One who is awkward or gawky
Ancestry of “gawkling”, step by step
gawkling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gawk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gawk | A cuckoo; A fool; a simpleton; a stupid or clumsy... |
| 2 | English | gowk | A cuckoo; A fool; To make foolish; to stupefy |
| 3 | Middle English | gowke | Alternative form of goke |
| 4 | Old Norse | gaukr | cuckoo |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gaukaz | cuckoo |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰAuǵ- | — |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |