Past tense of gasp; breathed in suddenly and audibly, usually from shock, surprise, or lack of air.
From Middle English gaspen and Old Norse geispa 'to yawn.' The word originally meant to yawn or gape widely before shifting meaning to sudden inhalation.
The word gasp traveled from Norse languages into English around 1400, and it's onomatopoetic—the 'sp' sound mimics the actual sound of sucking air in, making the word sound like what it means.
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