gucken

Meaning

1. (colloquial,weak) to look, to direct one's gaze at something
2. (colloquial,weak) to watch, to direct one's gaze at something for some time
3. (colloquial,copulative,weak) to look, to have a certain facial expression

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkʊkən/

Etymology

From Middle High German gücken, guggen (“to look inquisitively, peek, peer”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a specialised use of Middle High German gücken, gucken (“to cuckoo, call or cry like a cuckoo”), from Old High German guckōn, gukkōn (“to cuckoo”). The pronunciation (and spelling) with k- is commonly explained as an influence of German Low German kieken (from Middle Low German kîken). Note, however, that this pronunciation reaches far to the south (compare Luxembourgish kucken and Dutch kijken).