English
gaper
Gaper comes from Middle English gaper.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gaper
- Englishearliest quotation 2017same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gaper
- Englishearliest quotation 2017same form
Earliest quotation: 2017, Brendan Leonard: “If you want to avoid looking like a gaper,…”
Formed from gape + -er
Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₂- ‘to gape, be wide open’
Proto-Germanic *gapōną ‘to gaze, observe’
Old Norse gapa ‘to gape’
Middle English gapen
English gape
Every English word from Middle English gaper
Today it means
noun One who gapes; a starer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English gaper / gaper