gape

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To stare with your mouth open in surprise or wonder.

   The children stood and gaped at the huge dinosaur skeleton.

2. 2
   verb

   To be or become wide open.

   The wound was gaping open and losing too much blood.

3. 3
   noun

   A look of open-mouthed amazement.

   She looked at the prize with a gape of disbelief.

From Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa (“to gape”) (compare Swedish gapa, Danish gabe), from Proto-Germanic *gapōną (descendants Middle English geapen, Dutch gapen, German gaffen), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰеh₂b-. Cognates include Russian зяпа (zjapa). Doublet of gap.

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