noun
gawk
An awkward or foolish person.
The old comedy presents him as an awkward gawk.
Etymology
Gawk is associated with gawky and older words for a foolish person, sometimes linked to gowk, meaning cuckoo or fool. The exact relationship is uncertain, but the personal sense predates the familiar staring verb.
More examples
- She refused to dismiss the shy apprentice as a gawk.
- I felt like a gawk when I knocked over the chair.
- The apprentice was an awkward gawk, forever stumbling over his own feet.
Forms
gawk · gawks