gape

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gape/ɡeɪp/

▶verb

• 1 be or become wide open.

• 2 stare with one's mouth open wide in amazement or wonder.

▶noun

• 1 a wide opening.

  ■ an open-mouthed stare.

  ■ a widely open mouth or beak.

• 2 (the gapes) a disease of birds with gaping of the mouth as a symptom, caused by infestation with gapeworm.

– derivatives
gaping adjective,
gapingly adverb.

– origin ME: from ON gapa; rel. to gap.