What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Awk vs Gawk - What's the difference?

awk | gawk |

As nouns the difference between awk and gawk

is that awk is code written in or skill in using the awk language while gawk is a cuckoo.

As an adjective awk

is odd; out of order; perverse.

As an adverb awk

is perversely; in the wrong way.

As a proper noun awk

is a Unix scripting language or the command line interface itself.

As a verb gawk is

to stare or gape stupidly.

awk

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (obsolete) Odd; out of order; perverse.
  • (obsolete) Wrong, or not commonly used; clumsy; sinister; as, the awk end of a rod (the butt end).
    • (Golding)
  • (obsolete, UK, dialect) Clumsy in performance or manners; unhandy; not dexterous; awkward.
  • Awkward; uncomfortable.

    • Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (label) Perversely; in the wrong way.

    • Proper noun

    (en proper noun)
  • (computing) A Unix scripting language or the command line interface itself.

    • Noun

    (-)
  • (usually attributive, computing) Code written in or skill in using the awk language.
    • I used C, Perl, the Bourne shell, and some awk and tcl to implement these projects.

    References

    * * Notes:

    Anagrams

    * English three-letter words

    gawk

    English

    Etymology 1

    From a variant of gowk, from (etyl) gowke, from (etyl) . More at (l).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • a cuckoo
    • (Johnson)
  • a fool
    • (Carlyle)

    Etymology 2

    A Middle-Appalachian Americanism, since late 1800s, possibly misconstruing French "gauche," and leading to use of adj gawky for a person or process that is uncoordinated or awkward.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • a simpleton, stupid or clumsy person.

    • Etymology 3

    Perhaps from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To stare or gape stupidly
  • To stare conspicuously.

    • References

    Appalachian English