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   Gowk

   /ɡouk/

   

   noun

   • 1. an awkward or foolish person (often as a general term of abuse).
   • 2. a cuckoo.

   Word Origin Middle English (in gowk1 (sense 2)): from Old Norse gaukr.

   Scrabble Points: 12

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2. People also ask

   What does gowk mean?

   • Define gowk. gowk synonyms, gowk pronunciation, gowk translation, English dictionary definition of gowk. n 1. a stupid person; fool 2. a cuckoo Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998,...

   Gowk - definition of gowk by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com/gowk

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   What is a 'gowk' in a message?

   • But hunt the gowk another mile. The 'gowk' is also another name for the cuckoo, which is a silly bird. At each place the message bearer is sent on to someone else. It is also said that in the Middle Ages, up until the late 18th century, New Year's Day was celebrated on 25 March (Feast of the Annunciation) in many European towns.

   Hunt the Gowk - Fada's Farsaing - Rampant Scotland

   www.rampantscotland.com/gaelic/gaelic_fada_farsaig_gowk.htm

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   Why do people say gowk?

   • The use of the term gowk at these sites suggests a link with springtime and some of the surviving legends associated with standing stones do have a link with the heralding of spring by the first cuckoo of that season to arrive. In the churchyard at Nevern in Wales is an old stone cross, carved with intricate knotwork.

   Gowk stane - Wikipedia

   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowk_Stane

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   Where did the name gowk come from?

   • It has also been suggested that the gowk or fool originated in the Dark Ages as a name for the Britons, given by the Saxon invaders, and carried some of the meaning of the Devil in the context of an arch foe, who is likened to the fool.

   Gowk stane - Wikipedia

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3. www.dictionary.com › browse › gowkGOWK Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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   GOWK Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com. gowk. [ gouk, gohk ] Phonetic (Standard)IPA. noun. British Dialect. cuckoo. a fool or simpleton. gowk. / ɡaʊk / noun. a stupid person; fool. a cuckoo. Discover More. Word History and Origins. Origin of gowk 1. 1275–1325; Middle English goke < Old Norse gaukr; cognate with Old English gēac, German Gauch.

4. www.thefreedictionary.com › gowkGowk - definition of gowk by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › gowk

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   Define gowk. gowk synonyms, gowk pronunciation, gowk translation, English dictionary definition of gowk. n 1. a stupid person; fool 2. a cuckoo Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998,...

5. en.wiktionary.org › wiki › gowkgowk - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

   en.wiktionary.org › wiki › gowk

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   • Etymology 1
   • Etymology 2
   • Etymology 3

   From Middle English goke, gowke, from Old Norse gaukr (“cuckoo”), from Proto-Germanic *gaukaz (“cuckoo”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰegʰuǵʰ- (“cuckoo”).

   See full list on en.wiktionary.org

   Origin uncertain. Likely from Middle English coke, colk (“the core or heart of an apple or onion, pith”), from Old English *colc (“the gullet, esophagus; pit of the stomach; trench, pit, gully”), from Proto-West Germanic *kolk, from Proto-Germanic *kulkaz, *kulukaz (“gullet”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷel- (“to devour, swallow, gulp; throat, gull...

   See full list on en.wiktionary.org

   Compare Norwegian Nynorsk gulka (“to burp, belch”). Compare also Scots cowk (“to strain, retch”), Dutch kolken (“to belch”), German kolken (“to gulp”), dialectal German kölken, kolksen (“to vomit”), Danish kulke (“to gulp”).

   See full list on en.wiktionary.org

6. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishGOWK definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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   May 13, 2024 · 1. a foolish person. 2. a cuckoo. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. Word origin. from Old Norse gaukr cuckoo; related to Old High German gouh. Word Frequency. gowk in American English. (ɡauk, ɡouk) noun. 1. Brit dialect. a cuckoo. 2. a foolish person. Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC.

7. www.oed.com › dictionary › gowk_ngowk, n. meanings, etymology and more - Oxford English Dictionary

   www.oed.com › dictionary › gowk_n

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   What does the noun gowk mean? There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun gowk . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

8. www.etymonline.com › word › gowkgowk | Etymology of gowk by etymonline

   www.etymonline.com › word › gowk

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   Oct 23, 2023 · gowk (n.)"cuckoo," early 14c., from Old Norse gaukr, from Proto-Germanic *gaukoz (source also of Old English geac "cuckoo," Old High German gouh); compare gawk. The meaning "fool" attested from c. 1600. These words are like mushrooms growing on the same stump: they are members of one rootless family.

9. www.yourdictionary.com › gowkGowk Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary

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   Gowk Definition. A cuckoo. A simpleton. To make foolish; to stupefy.