gawk

Meanings

Noun

• A cuckoo.
• A fool; a simpleton; a stupid or clumsy person.

Verb

• To stare or gape stupidly.
• To stare conspicuously.

Origin

• 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. More at yeke.
• Compare also French gauche, and English gawky and gallock.
• Perhaps from English dialectal gaw + -k, as in talk, stalk, etc., ultimately from Old Norse gá ("to heed").