To breathe in sharply and audibly, usually because of surprise, shock, or lack of air.
From Old Norse 'geispa' meaning to yawn or gape. The word originally described opening the mouth wide, and over time it specialized to mean the quick, sharp breathing in response to surprise.
Medieval people borrowed the word 'gasp' from the Scandinavian languages, and it originally just meant 'to yawn'—but somewhere along the way, English speakers associated it with that sudden, shocked breathing you do when you get a surprise.
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