Gawp
/ɡɔːp/noun
To stare openly and stupidly, often with the mouth open.
Did you know?Gawp is a dialectal English word tied to the older idea of gaping or opening wide, and it survives as a wonderfully ugly little snapshot of raw human astonishment.
Etymological Timeline
Old English / Early Germanic
Germanic
*gapōną / *gāpian
“to gape, open the mouth wide”
Middle English
English
gapen
“to gape or stare with the mouth open”
16th–17th Century
English
gawp
“to stare stupidly or vacantly, mouth open”
Modern English
English
gawp
“to stare openly and foolishly”