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gack
See also: Gack and gäck
Contents
1 English
1.1 Pronunciation
1.2 Etymology 1
1.2.1 Alternative forms
1.2.2 Interjection
1.2.3 Verb
1.2.4 Noun
1.2.4.1 Translations
1.3 Etymology 2
1.3.1 Interjection
1.3.2 Verb
1.4 References
2 Swedish
2.1 Verb
English
Pronunciation
enPR: găk, IPA(key): /ɡæk/
Audio (AU)
Duration: 1 second.0:01
Rhymes: -æk
Homophone: gac
Etymology 1
Apparently onomatopoeic and believed to have first appeared in comic strips. Compare gag (“to choke; to retch”) and hack (“to cough noisily”).
The "cocaine" and "meth" senses apparently comes from the fact that snorting the drugs often activates a person's gag reflex.
Alternative forms
gak
Interjection
gack
(often repeated several times) A sharp, sudden sound from someone's throat while they're coughing, vomiting, gagging, etc.
An expression of disgust or disapproval.
An expression of trepidation.
Verb
gack (third-person singular simple present gacks, present participle gacking, simple past and past participle gacked)
(intransitive) To make a sharp, sudden sound in one's throat, such as before vomiting or while coughing, gagging, etc.
To do something that causes a sharp, sudden sound in one's throat.
(intransitive) To vomit, throw up.
(transitive) To cough something up.
(intransitive) To choke (be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe)
(intransitive) To choke (experience tightness in one's throat as a result of strong emotion)
Noun
gack (uncountable)
(slang) Crystal meth.
(slang) Powder cocaine.
Translations
±to make a 'gack' noise
±to cough something up
Etymology 2
Apparently onomatopoeic. Compare German gack (“call of a hen”), German gackern (“(of a chicken) to loudly and repetitive cry”), and Dutch gakken (“(of a goose) to honk”).
Comparison to more terms
Interjection
gack
The sound of a bird's call in response to disturbance.
Verb
gack (third-person singular simple present gacks, present participle gacking, simple past and past participle gacked)
(of a bird) To call in response to disturbance.
References
Pokorny, Julius (1959), “gha gha, ghe ghe, ghi ghi”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 407
Swedish
Verb
gack
(archaic) singular imperative of gå