Cockaigne
or Cock·ayne
[ ko-keyn ]
/ kɒˈkeɪn /
noun
a fabled land of luxury and idleness.
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We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
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Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of Cockaigne
1250–1300; Middle English cokaygn(e) <Middle French (paide) cocaigne (land of) Cockaigne, idler's paradise <Middle Low German kōkenje, equivalent to kōken (see cookie) + -je diminutive suffix
Words nearby Cockaigne
cock, cockabully, cockade, cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-hoop, Cockaigne, cock-a-leekie, cockalorum, cockamamie, cock-and-bull story, cockapoo
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for Cockaigne
British Dictionary definitions for Cockaigne
Cockaigne
Cockayne
/ (kɒˈkeɪn) /
noun
medieval legend an imaginary land of luxury and idleness
Word Origin for Cockaigne
C14: from Old French cocaigne, from Middle Low German kōkenje small cake (of which the houses in the imaginary land are built); related to Spanish cucaña, Italian cuccagna
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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