Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gawp” come from?

gawp (English) comes from English gape, from Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa, from Proto-Germanic gapōną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁y-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁-.

gawp (English): To stare stupidly or rudely; to gawk

Definitions

  1. To stare stupidly or rudely; to gawk

Ancestry of “gawp”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgapeTo open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily,...
2Middle Englishgapen—
3Old Norsegapato gape, open the mouth wide
4Proto-Germanicgapōnąto gaze, observe
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeh₁y-to yawn, gape; to gape, be wide open; to gape,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰih₁-—

Words derived from “gawp”

  • gawping
  • gawper
  • gawpingly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁- →