gowk

[ gouk, gohk ]

/ gaʊk, goʊk /

noun

British Dialect. cuckoo.

a fool or simpleton.

Origin of gowk

1275–1325; Middle English goke < Old Norse gaukr; cognate with Old English gēac, German Gauch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gowk

It's no use just to be a good husband to her: any gowk can be that.
A Safety Match|Ian Hay
But the story of the Cuckoo has made its local name the "Gowk" synonymous with an inhabitant of the vale.
Lays and Legends of the English Lake Country|John Pagen White
It was no more an essay than a twig is a tree, for the gowk had stuck in the middle of his second page.
The Art of Public Speaking|Dale Carnagey (AKA Dale Carnegie) and J. Berg Esenwein
Ye hinnae as muckle o' the Sicht as wad let ye see when Leevie was makin' a gowk o' ye to gar ye hang oot signals for her auld jo.
Doom Castle|Neil Munro

In France the party fooled is called un poisson d'avril, 'an April fish'; in Scotland, a 'gowk', or cuckoo.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for gowk

gowk

/ (ɡaʊk) /

noun Scot and Northern English dialect

a stupid person; fool

a cuckoo

Word Origin for gowk

from Old Norse gaukr cuckoo; related to Old High German gouh

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gowk

gowk

"cuckoo," early 14c., from Old Norse gaukr, from Proto-Germanic *gaukoz (cf. Old English geac, Old High German gouh). Meaning "fool" attested from c.1600.

gowk

noun

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Origin of gowk

Examples from the Web for gowk

British Dictionary definitions for gowk

gowk

noun Scot and Northern English dialect

Word Origin for gowk

Word Origin and History for gowk

gowk