Gulping
/ˈɡʌl.pɪŋ/noun
Present participle of gulp, meaning to swallow something quickly or in large mouthfuls.
Did you know?English gulp is likely imitative in origin, built to mimic the sound or motion of swallowing, which is why it feels so physically dramatic in the mouth.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
gulpen
“To swallow greedily or in large mouthfuls; to gulp down.”
Early Modern English
English
gulp
“To swallow hastily or in a single effort.”
Middle English
English
gulp
“A swallowing motion or act; also an imitative sound word.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gulbaną
“A form sometimes proposed in older scholarship, though the word’s origin is not securely established.”
Modern English
English
gulping
“Swallowing quickly, often with effort, fear, or thirst.”