agape

Etymology 1

From a- + gape. First known use by John Milton in Paradise Lost (1667).

adj

1. In a state of astonishment, wonder, expectation, or eager attention; as with mouth hanging open.
   […] in himself was all his state, More solemn then the tedious pomp that waits On Princes, when thir rich Retinue long Of Horses led, and Grooms besmeard with Gold 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, London, Book 5, lines 353-357
   There I stand, agape like any country bumpkin 1923, Arthur Michael Samuel, “Roubiliac (1695-1762)”, in The Mancroft essays, page 159
   That's all well and good; one can sit, agape, reading the copious liner notes to this or any Explorer record, but it's what's inside the jacket that counts. 1980, Joel Flegler, Fanfare, volume 3, numbers 4-6, page 198
   The restaurant staff and OTHER DINNER GUESTS watch, agape. 1996, Lech J. Majewski, Julian Schnabel, Basquiat
2. Wide open.
   With his mouth agape and his hands clenched, Rufus Dawes, incapable of further speech, made a last effort to nod assent, but his head fell upon his breast; the next moment, the flickering light, the gloomy prison, the eager face of the doctor, and the astonished face of Vickers, vanished from before his straining eyes. 1874, Marcus Clarke, chapter VIII, in For the Term of His Natural Life
   He tries not to tear his victim's stockings, or whip too close to her stretched vulva, which shivers, unprotected, between thighs agape and straining, amid movements of muscle erotic, subdued, “monumental” as any silver memory of her body on film. 1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow
   In the last frame, he throws back his head and wails, his mouth agape. Sep 24, 1995, “Stop Me If Yov've Heard this One”, in Washington Post
   With dropped jaws and eyes agape, a world beholds the blur of Michael Johnson August 2, 1996, “Johnson can fly, and he does it without wings”, in Chicago Sun-Times
   If the slightly agape mouth is closed prior to mouth opening, this is termed the preparatory phase and is more common in suction-feeding bony fishes than elasmobranchs. 2004, Jeffrey C. Carrier, John A. Musick, Michael R. Heithaus, Biology of Sharks and their Relatives, page 171
   Mouths were agape on the announcement of England’s starting lineup, the return of Keira Walsh appearing miraculous 10 days after she left the pitch on a stretcher in agony. 2023-08-07, Suzanne Wrack, “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian

adv

1. In a state of astonishment, wonder, expectation, or eager attention.
   Three of us--two biologists and I--were crouched behind a huge boulder at the water's edge and staring agape as the largest bear I ever saw came toward us Jun 26, 1987, “On the Prowl in Grizzly Country”, in Chicago Tribune
   "This is Sammy 91," he told the two dozen tourists watching agape." Sep 24, 2005, “Angry Surfers Say Cage-Diving Changes Great White's Way”, in Wall Street Journal
   One features a science teacher looking agape at the camera which has caught him reading red-handed. Jan 8, 2008, “Reading gets the glitzy treatment”, in BBC News
2. Open wide.
   Its mouth yawned agape Jan 7, 1911, “The Man-killer”, in Poverty Bay Herald
   The bathroom door stood agape, and the peeling vinyl floor was bare. 1996, Perri O'Shaughnessy, Invasion of Privacy, page 508
   He glanced up into Richard's eyes, his own wide with wonder, his mouth hanging agape. 2005, Terry Goodkind, Chainfire, page 427

Etymology 2

(from Roller's Catacombes de Rome).]] From Ancient Greek ἀγάπη (agápē).

noun

1. (uncountable, Christianity) The love of God for mankind, or the benevolent love of Christians for others.
2. (uncountable) Spiritual, altruistic, beneficial love which wills good for others.
3. (countable) A love feast, especially one held in the early Christian Church in connection with the Eucharist.