gowk

[gouk, gohk] /gaʊk, goʊk/
noun
1.
British Dialect, cuckoo.
2.
a fool or simpleton.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English goke < Old Norse gaukr; cognate with Old English gēac, German Gauch
British Dictionary definitions for gowk

gowk

/ɡaʊk/
noun (Scot & Northern English, dialect)
1.
a stupid person; fool
2.
a cuckoo
Word Origin
from Old Norse gaukr cuckoo; related to Old High German gouh
Word Origin and History for gowk
n.

"cuckoo," early 14c., from Old Norse gaukr, from Proto-Germanic *gaukoz (cf. Old English geac, Old High German gouh). Meaning "fool" attested from c.1600.