gob

The word 'gob' first appeared in Middle English, around the 14th century, referring to a lump or a mass. Its exact origin is obscure but it is likely of Celtic origin, perhaps from Irish or Scottish Gaelic 'gob' meaning 'beak' or 'mouth'. This etymological path suggests a metaphorical extension from the projecting shape of a bird's beak to a lump of matter, and later, informally, to the human mouth itself. The informal British senses, referring to the mouth or a large amount, developed naturally from the core concept of a contained mass or opening.

The word 'gob' is a simplex word of uncertain origin, likely onomatopoeic or from a Celtic source. It functions as a single, unanalyzable morpheme in modern English.