"geck" meaning in English

See geck in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ɡɛk/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-geck.wav Forms: gecks [plural]
Rhymes: -ɛk Etymology: From Dutch gek or Low German geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Germanic and Scandinavian/North Germanic meaning "to croak, cackle," and also "to mock, cheat" (Dutch gekken, German gecken, Danish gjække, Swedish gäcka). Etymology templates: {{onomatopoeic|en|title=imitative}} imitative, {{der|en|gmq|-}} North Germanic Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} geck (countable and uncountable, plural gecks)
  1. (archaic, derogatory, poetic) Fool; idiot; imbecile. Tags: archaic, countable, derogatory, poetic, uncountable Derived forms: begeck, begunk
    Sense id: en-geck-en-noun-wHjug8VB Categories (other): English onomatopoeias, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English onomatopoeias: 13 46 41 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 11 49 41

Verb

IPA: /ɡɛk/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-geck.wav Forms: gecks [present, singular, third-person], gecking [participle, present], gecked [participle, past], gecked [past]
Rhymes: -ɛk Etymology: From Dutch gek or Low German geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Germanic and Scandinavian/North Germanic meaning "to croak, cackle," and also "to mock, cheat" (Dutch gekken, German gecken, Danish gjække, Swedish gäcka). Etymology templates: {{onomatopoeic|en|title=imitative}} imitative, {{der|en|gmq|-}} North Germanic Head templates: {{en-verb}} geck (third-person singular simple present gecks, present participle gecking, simple past and past participle gecked)
  1. (ambitransitive, chiefly Scotland, Northern England) To jeer or mock; to show contempt for. Tags: Northern-England, Scotland, ambitransitive
    Sense id: en-geck-en-verb-tvYm~0ti Categories (other): Northern England English, Scottish English, English entries with incorrect language header, English onomatopoeias, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 8 46 47 Disambiguation of English onomatopoeias: 13 46 41 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 14 48 38 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 11 49 41
  2. To toss (one's head) scornfully; to look (at) derisively or disdainfully.
    Sense id: en-geck-en-verb-t53XvcQC Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English onomatopoeias, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 8 46 47 Disambiguation of English onomatopoeias: 13 46 41 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 11 49 41

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "imitative"
      },
      "expansion": "imitative",
      "name": "onomatopoeic"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Dutch gek or Low German geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Germanic and Scandinavian/North Germanic meaning \"to croak, cackle,\" and also \"to mock, cheat\" (Dutch gekken, German gecken, Danish gjække, Swedish gäcka).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gecks",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "geck (countable and uncountable, plural gecks)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "13 46 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English onomatopoeias",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 49 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "begeck"
        },
        {
          "word": "begunk"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              14,
              18
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:",
          "text": "To become the geck and scorn / O' the other's villainy.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              80,
              84
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1859, George Eliot, “IX Hetty's World”, in Adam Bede, HTML edition, published 2010, archived from the original on 05 Apr 2012:",
          "text": "… for where’s the use of a woman having brains of her own if she’s tackled to a geck as everybody’s a-laughing at?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Fool; idiot; imbecile."
      ],
      "id": "en-geck-en-noun-wHjug8VB",
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "Fool",
          "fool"
        ],
        [
          "idiot",
          "idiot"
        ],
        [
          "imbecile",
          "imbecile"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, derogatory, poetic) Fool; idiot; imbecile."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "derogatory",
        "poetic",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɡɛk/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-geck.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "geck"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "imitative"
      },
      "expansion": "imitative",
      "name": "onomatopoeic"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Dutch gek or Low German geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Germanic and Scandinavian/North Germanic meaning \"to croak, cackle,\" and also \"to mock, cheat\" (Dutch gekken, German gecken, Danish gjække, Swedish gäcka).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gecks",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gecking",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gecked",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gecked",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "geck (third-person singular simple present gecks, present participle gecking, simple past and past participle gecked)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Northern England English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Scottish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 46 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 46 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English onomatopoeias",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 48 38",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 49 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              19,
              25
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1812 [1768?], Ross Alexander, Helenore : or the fortunate shepherdess, a pastoral tale, page 92:",
          "text": "To say that ye was geck'd ye'se hae nae need.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1815, Robert Tannahill, Poems and Songs, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, page 59:",
          "text": "And Jenny geck'd at Roger, […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              63,
              69
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1816, [Walter Scott], The Antiquary. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:",
          "text": "I brought her frae England, and, during our whole journey, she gecked and scorned at my northern speech and habit",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1828, Allan Ramsay, The Gentle Shepherd: A Pastoral Comedy. With Notes, and an Original Memoir of the Author, page 21:",
          "text": "She ... gecks at me , and says I smell o' tar.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1893, Robert Ford, The Harp of Perthshire: A Collection of Songs, Ballads, and Other Poetical Pieces Chiefly by Local Authors, page 163:",
          "text": "Oh, geck na' at hame hodden grey, Jean Linn! Oh, geck na' at hame hodden grey!",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To jeer or mock; to show contempt for."
      ],
      "id": "en-geck-en-verb-tvYm~0ti",
      "links": [
        [
          "jeer",
          "jeer"
        ],
        [
          "contempt",
          "contempt"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(ambitransitive, chiefly Scotland, Northern England) To jeer or mock; to show contempt for."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "ambitransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "8 46 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "13 46 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English onomatopoeias",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 49 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1793, Thomas Scott (of Paisley.), Poems, with Edwin and Catherine, or The distressed lovers, a tragedy, page 339:",
          "text": "... The like o ' me they'll har'ly own , But geck their head , an ' gester on , An ' fou'd they speak , Set up their beek . They wi ' a jeer , or crabit frown , But yet the day or lang may light , Whan matters will be judged right ; We've[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1801, William Beattie, Fruits of Time Parings: Being a Small Collection of Original Poems, Scotch and English: Composed to Fill Up a Few of the Author's Blank Hours - and Respectfully Offered to the Public, page 9:",
          "text": "Out-throw the rest my aunty gecket, / To see which way she was dissecket;",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1806, John Black, The Falls of Clyde: Or, The Fairies; a Scotish Dramatic Pastoral, in Five Acts. With Three Preliminary Dissertations, page 135:",
          "text": "... he was saying that to geck you're free, If now he sings upon the primrose […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1878, Robert Burns, The poetical works of Robert Burns, ed. by C. Kent, page 124:",
          "text": "... Adieu , my Liege ! may Freedom geck Beneath your high protection;[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1880, James E. Watt, Poetical Sketches of Scottish Life and Character, page 34:",
          "text": "... it set oor auld gossips a-geckin' Whan' the news o't cam' hame to auld Robbie Macmeeken.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To toss (one's head) scornfully; to look (at) derisively or disdainfully."
      ],
      "id": "en-geck-en-verb-t53XvcQC",
      "links": [
        [
          "toss",
          "toss"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɡɛk/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-geck.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "geck"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English onomatopoeias",
    "English terms derived from North Germanic languages",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛk",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛk/1 syllable"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "begeck"
    },
    {
      "word": "begunk"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "imitative"
      },
      "expansion": "imitative",
      "name": "onomatopoeic"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Dutch gek or Low German geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Germanic and Scandinavian/North Germanic meaning \"to croak, cackle,\" and also \"to mock, cheat\" (Dutch gekken, German gecken, Danish gjække, Swedish gäcka).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gecks",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "geck (countable and uncountable, plural gecks)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English derogatory terms",
        "English poetic terms",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              14,
              18
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:",
          "text": "To become the geck and scorn / O' the other's villainy.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              80,
              84
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1859, George Eliot, “IX Hetty's World”, in Adam Bede, HTML edition, published 2010, archived from the original on 05 Apr 2012:",
          "text": "… for where’s the use of a woman having brains of her own if she’s tackled to a geck as everybody’s a-laughing at?",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Fool; idiot; imbecile."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "Fool",
          "fool"
        ],
        [
          "idiot",
          "idiot"
        ],
        [
          "imbecile",
          "imbecile"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, derogatory, poetic) Fool; idiot; imbecile."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "countable",
        "derogatory",
        "poetic",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɡɛk/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-geck.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "geck"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English onomatopoeias",
    "English terms derived from North Germanic languages",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛk",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛk/1 syllable"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "imitative"
      },
      "expansion": "imitative",
      "name": "onomatopoeic"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Dutch gek or Low German geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Germanic and Scandinavian/North Germanic meaning \"to croak, cackle,\" and also \"to mock, cheat\" (Dutch gekken, German gecken, Danish gjække, Swedish gäcka).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gecks",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gecking",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gecked",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gecked",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "geck (third-person singular simple present gecks, present participle gecking, simple past and past participle gecked)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs",
        "Northern England English",
        "Scottish English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              19,
              25
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1812 [1768?], Ross Alexander, Helenore : or the fortunate shepherdess, a pastoral tale, page 92:",
          "text": "To say that ye was geck'd ye'se hae nae need.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1815, Robert Tannahill, Poems and Songs, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, page 59:",
          "text": "And Jenny geck'd at Roger, […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              63,
              69
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1816, [Walter Scott], The Antiquary. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:",
          "text": "I brought her frae England, and, during our whole journey, she gecked and scorned at my northern speech and habit",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1828, Allan Ramsay, The Gentle Shepherd: A Pastoral Comedy. With Notes, and an Original Memoir of the Author, page 21:",
          "text": "She ... gecks at me , and says I smell o' tar.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1893, Robert Ford, The Harp of Perthshire: A Collection of Songs, Ballads, and Other Poetical Pieces Chiefly by Local Authors, page 163:",
          "text": "Oh, geck na' at hame hodden grey, Jean Linn! Oh, geck na' at hame hodden grey!",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To jeer or mock; to show contempt for."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "jeer",
          "jeer"
        ],
        [
          "contempt",
          "contempt"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(ambitransitive, chiefly Scotland, Northern England) To jeer or mock; to show contempt for."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "ambitransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1793, Thomas Scott (of Paisley.), Poems, with Edwin and Catherine, or The distressed lovers, a tragedy, page 339:",
          "text": "... The like o ' me they'll har'ly own , But geck their head , an ' gester on , An ' fou'd they speak , Set up their beek . They wi ' a jeer , or crabit frown , But yet the day or lang may light , Whan matters will be judged right ; We've[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1801, William Beattie, Fruits of Time Parings: Being a Small Collection of Original Poems, Scotch and English: Composed to Fill Up a Few of the Author's Blank Hours - and Respectfully Offered to the Public, page 9:",
          "text": "Out-throw the rest my aunty gecket, / To see which way she was dissecket;",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1806, John Black, The Falls of Clyde: Or, The Fairies; a Scotish Dramatic Pastoral, in Five Acts. With Three Preliminary Dissertations, page 135:",
          "text": "... he was saying that to geck you're free, If now he sings upon the primrose […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1878, Robert Burns, The poetical works of Robert Burns, ed. by C. Kent, page 124:",
          "text": "... Adieu , my Liege ! may Freedom geck Beneath your high protection;[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1880, James E. Watt, Poetical Sketches of Scottish Life and Character, page 34:",
          "text": "... it set oor auld gossips a-geckin' Whan' the news o't cam' hame to auld Robbie Macmeeken.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To toss (one's head) scornfully; to look (at) derisively or disdainfully."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "toss",
          "toss"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɡɛk/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-geck.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-geck.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "geck"
}

Download raw JSONL data for geck meaning in English (7.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-08-04 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-08-02 using wiktextract (a681f8a and 3c020d2). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.