gowk

[ gouk, gohk ]

noun

1. British Dialect. cuckoo.
2. a fool or simpleton.

gowk

/ ɡaʊk /

noun

1. a stupid person; fool
2. a cuckoo

Word History and Origins

Origin of gowk¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of gowk¹

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

Example Sentences

This is another fun term derived from the cuckoo, known as a gowk in some Scottish dialects.

From Time

The gowk’s-storm is a spring gale, particularly one that occurs at the time the cuckoo flies onto the scene.

From Time

April 1 was traditionally Hunt the Gowk day, although the name is fading out.

From Time

Gowk means cuckoo, and sending a mate on a fool’s errand is the name of the game: you should ask someone to deliver a sealed message asking for help, the contents of which instruct the recipient to pass it along and continue the chain.

From Time

—Is the word spooney derived from the Anglo-Saxon spanan, sp�n, asponen, to allure, entice, and therefore equivalent to one allured, trapped, &c., a gowk or simpleton?

From Project Gutenberg