Gape, n. 1. The act of gaping; a yawn. Addison.
2. (Zoöl.) The width of the mouth when opened, as of birds, fishes, etc.
The gapes. (a) A fit of yawning. (b) A disease of young poultry and other birds, attended with much gaping. It is caused by a parasitic nematode worm (Syngamus trachealis), in the windpipe, which obstructs the breathing. See Gapeworm.