| 释义 |
gape
I. \ˈgāp sometimes ˈgap or ˈgaa(ə)p\ verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa; akin to Old English ofergapian to neglect, Middle Dutch gapen to gape, Middle High German gaffen to stare with open mouth, Old High German geffida observation, Latin hiare to gape, yawn — more at yawn
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to open the mouth wide especially with intent to bite or swallow
< baby birds gape until they are fed >
b. : to open like a mouth : spread apart along an edge or make a cavity
< the shell of a clam gapes >
< holes gape in pavements after floods >
2.
a. : to stare openmouthed in surprise or admiration — usually used with at
< the men gaped at me in utter amazement — R.H.Davis >
< gapes round-eyed at the astonishing world — Rose Macaulay >
b. : to stare with the mouth open vacantly as if not comprehending
< gaped vaguely at the skylight — Dorothy Sayers >
< depicts man lost and blindly gaping amidst the chaos — Rhys Gwyn >
3. archaic
a. : to yearn especially for something of questionable value — usually used with after or for
< gape after new spiritual incarnations — J.C.Hare >
b. : to want earnestly to do something : crave — used with infinitive
< gaping with mouths wide open to have their curiosity satisfied — Sporting Magazine >
4. : to draw a deep involuntary breath with the mouth open especially as a result of fatigue or boredom : yawn
< a dull lecture makes the students gape >
5. archaic : shout, bellow
< you'll leave your noise anon … ye rude slaves leave your gaping — Shakespeare >
transitive verb
: to make an opening in
< a fearful battlefield, the earth of it gaped open by shells and bombs — Ira Wolfert >
Synonyms: see gaze
II. noun
(-s)
1. : an act of gaping:
a. : yawn
b. : an openmouthed stare
c. archaic : an eager search after : quest
< a perpetual gape after knowledge — Joseph Addison >
2. : an unfilled space or extent : vacuum
< the huge attentive gape of emptiness — Thomas Wolfe >
3.
a. : the median margin-to-margin length of the open mouth
b. : the line along which the mandibles of a bird close
c. : an opening at the edge of a mollusk shell when the valves are shut
d. : the width of an opening that resembles a mouth
< gyratory crushers having a gape suitable for the coarsest crushing — A.M.Gaudin >
e. : the distance between the barb and shank on a fishhook
4. gapes plural but singular in construction
a. : a disease of young chickens, turkeys, and other birds in which nematode worms (Syngamus trachea) invade and irritate the trachea causing coughing and labored breathing often with the neck extended and the beak open
< gapes is a common disease of chicks aged three to eight weeks — W.P.Blount >
— see gapeworm
b. : a fit of yawning — used with the
< as the lecture dragged on, he got the gapes > |