gook

Etymology 1
First attested in the 1890s in reference to Filipinos (in particular, it is defined in an 1893 citation in Slang and Its Analogues as referring to prostitutes who followed army camps; it is defined similarly in a 1914 work). The word was used of Nicaraguans during the US military occupation there in the 1910s, and Haitians during the US invasion there, when Herbert Seligman noted in 1920 that "The Haitians [...] are nicknamed 'Gooks'".

Other early uses in the 1920 and 30s still refer to people from the Philippines (a 1921 work refers to the Philippines as "Gook Land" ), and the term seems to be connected to, for which a variety of etymologies have been proposed; see that entry for more. (A later folk etymology suggests that during the Korean War, North Korean soldiers would shout at Americans, who interpreted it as "me gook"; this ignores the many earlier examples of the word outside Korea.) Gook was used of Pacific Islanders by World War II, and Koreans and Vietnamese people by the time of the 1950s and 60s US military interventions there, which cemented the shift to meaning "Asian".

Noun

 * 1)  A person of (South) East Asian descent; originally a native of the Philippines, but now especially:
 * 2)  A Korean person (especially during the Korean War).
 * 3)  A Vietnamese insurgent in the Vietnam War, particularly a member of the Vietcong.
 * 4)  A foreigner (to the speaker), especially the (enemy) natives of a place the speaker's military is at war with or in.
 * 5)  A black insurgent in the.
 * 1)  A foreigner (to the speaker), especially the (enemy) natives of a place the speaker's military is at war with or in.
 * 2)  A black insurgent in the.
 * 1)  A black insurgent in the.
 * 1)  A black insurgent in the.

Usage notes

 * In modern US usage, gook refers to an Asian, especially to a Vietnamese person in the context of the Vietnam War (particularly the Viet Cong). It is generally considered to be highly offensive.

Translations

 * Czech: rákosník
 * Dutch:
 * Esperanto: azianaĉo
 * Estonian: pilusilm, plöga
 * Finnish:
 * French: ,
 * German:
 * Greek:
 * Italian: muso giallo, occhi a mandorla
 * Japanese: ,
 * Polish:
 * Russian:, косоры́лый, китаёза ,
 * Swedish:
 * Turkish:

Etymology 2
Possible, or related to gobbledygook.

Noun

 * 1)  Grime or mud.

Noun

 * 1)  A dull or hapless person.