Gawky
/ˈɡɔːki/noun
Awkward, clumsy, or lanky in movement or appearance.
Did you know?Gawky is linked to older dialect words like gawk, meaning both a cuckoo and a foolish or awkward person, so the insult once carried a strange bird-brain energy.
Etymological Timeline
Old Norse
ON
gaukr
“cuckoo”
Middle English
ME
gawk
“a cuckoo; later, a foolish or awkward person”
18th Century
English
gawky
“awkward, clumsy, or silly in manner”
Modern English
English
gawky
“awkward, lanky, or ungainly”