different between gape vs peep

English

Etymology

Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa (“to gape”) (compare Swedish gapa, Danish gabe), from Proto-Germanic *gap?n? (descendants Middle English geapen, Dutch gapen, German gaffen), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *???h?b-. Cognates include Russian ???? (zjapa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??e?p/
• Rhymes: -e?p

Verb

gape (third-person singular simple present gapes, present participle gaping, simple past and past participle gaped)

1. (intransitive) To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily, as in a yawn, anger, or surprise.
   • 1723, Jonathan Swift, The Journal of a Modern Lady, 1810, Samuel Johnson, The Works of the English Poets, from Chaucer to Cowper, Volume 11, page 467,

     She stretches, gapes, unglues her eyes, / And asks if it be time to rise;
2. (intransitive) To stare in wonder.
3. (intransitive) To open wide; to display a gap.
   • c. 1591, William Shakespeare, Third Part of King Henry VI, Act 1, Scene 1, 1807, Samuel Johnson, George Steevens (editors),The plays of William Shakspeare, Volume X, page 291,

     May that ground gape, and swallow me alive, / Where I shall kneel to him who slew my father!

   • 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism, Book II, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 74:

     "Nor is he deterr'd from the belief of the perpetual flying of the Manucodiata, by the gaping of the feathers of her wings, (which seem thereby less fit to sustain her body) but further makes the narration probable by what he has observed in Kites hovering in the Aire, as he saith, for a whole hour together without any flapping of their wings or changing place."

   • a. 1699, John Denham, Cato Major, Of Old Age: A Poem, 1710, page 25,

     The hungry grave for her due tribute gapes:

4. (intransitive, of a cat) To open the passage to the vomeronasal organ, analogous to the flehming in other animals.
5. (pornography) To depict a dilated anal or vaginal cavity upon penetrative sexual activity.

Translations

Noun

gape (countable and uncountable, plural gapes)

1. (uncommon) An act of gaping; a yawn.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Addison to this entry?)

2. A large opening.
3. (uncountable) A disease in poultry caused by gapeworm in the windpipe, a symptom of which is frequent gaping.
4. The width of an opening.
5. (zoology) The maximum opening of the mouth (of a bird, fish, etc.) when it is open.

Derived terms

• agape

Translations

Anagrams

• PAGE, Page, page, peag

Dutch

Verb

gape

1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of gapen

Anagrams

• page

Northern Sotho

Adverb

gape

1. again

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse gapa

Verb

gape (imperative gap, present tense gaper, passive gapes, simple past gapa or gapte, past participle gapa or gapt, present participle gapende)

1. to gape (of a mouth, hole, wound etc., be wide open)

   gap opp! - open wide! (e.g. at the dentist)

References

• “gape” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• gapa

Etymology

From Old Norse gapa

Verb

gape (present tense gapar or gaper, past tense gapa or gapte, past participle gapa or gapt, passive infinitive gapast, present participle gapande, imperative gap)

1. to gape (of a mouth, hole, wound etc., be wide open)

References

• “gape” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: p?p, IPA^(key): /pi?p/
• (US) IPA^(key): /pip/, [p?ip]
• Rhymes: -i?p

Etymology 1

From Middle English pepen. Compare Dutch piepen (“peep”), German Low German piepen (“to peep”), German piepen and pfeifen, all probably onomatopoeic.

Noun

peep (plural peeps)

1. A short, soft, high-pitched sound, as made by a baby bird.
2. A feeble utterance or complaint.

   I don't want to hear a peep out of you!

3. The sound of a steam engine's whistle; typically shrill.
   • 2001, Rev. W. Awdry, Thomas the tank engine collection : a unique collection of stories from the railway series - p. 177 - Egmont Books, Limited, Aug 15, 2001

     "Peep, peep," said Edward, "I'm ready."

     "Peep, peep, peep," said Henry, "so am I."

4. (birdwatching, colloquial) A sandpiper or other small wader.

Translations

Verb

peep (third-person singular simple present peeps, present participle peeping, simple past and past participle peeped)

1. To make a soft, shrill noise like a baby bird.
2. To speak briefly with a quiet voice.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English pepen, variant of piken.

Verb

peep (third-person singular simple present peeps, present participle peeping, simple past and past participle peeped)

1. (intransitive) To look, especially through a narrow opening, or while trying not to be seen or noticed.

   • And it was while all were passionately intent upon the pleasing and snake-like progress of their uncle that a young girl in furs, ascending the stairs two at a time, peeped perfunctorily into the nursery as she passed the hallway—and halted amazed.
2. (intransitive) To begin to appear; to look forth from concealment; to make the first appearance.
3. (transitive, MLE) To take a look at; check out.

   Did you peep that video I sent you?

Hypernyms

• glance

Translations

Noun

peep (plural peeps)

1. A quick look or glimpse, especially a furtive one.
2. The first partial appearance of something; a beginning to appear.

   the peep of day

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Of uncertain origin; perhaps variant of pip.

Noun

peep (plural peeps)

1. (obsolete) A spot on a die or domino.

Synonyms

• (spot on die or domino): pip

Etymology 4

Back-formation from peeps, a shortened form of people.

Noun

peep (plural peeps)

1. (Britain, slang) person.