# gawk

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɡɔːk/ · frequency rank #59,412

## Definitions
1. A cuckoo; (sometimes by extension) any gawky bird.
2. A fool; a simpleton; a stupid or clumsy person.

## Etymology
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.
Compare also French gauche, and English gawky and gallock.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gawk