English

Noun

gawn ‎(plural gawns)

1. (obsolete, Britain, dialect) A small tub or lading vessel.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Johnson to this entry?)

Etymology 2

Corrupted from going.

Verb

gawn

1. (eye dialect) Eye dialect spelling of certain regional pronunciations of going.
   • 1841, Susan Edmonstone Ferrier, The Inheritance, page 8:

     I'm no used to your grandees, and I'm no gawn to begin to learn fashionable mainners noo — so dinna ask me — I'm no gawn to mak a fule o' mysel' at this time o' day.

   • 2007, Jacqueline Wales, When the Crow Sings, page 110:

     Agnes came in dressed in nightgown and curlers. “Are we still gawn to the church bingo the night? I told Bessie I'd be gawn.”

   • 2014, Charles R. Allen, 99 Cent Adventure Time Stories: The House of Weird Sleep, page 3:

     “Ah'm gawn to tear yore skin off with this here whip,” came the guttural voice from behind him. “Then ah'm gawn to rub salt in the cuts an' leave you hyar on the floor.”

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡau̯n/

Noun

gawn

1. Soft mutation of cawn.

Verb

gawn

1. Soft mutation of cawn.