cuckoo

[koo-koo, koo k-oo]

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noun, plural cuck·oos.

a common European bird, Cuculus canorus, of the family Cuculidae, noted for its characteristic call and its brood parasitism.

any of several other birds of the family Cuculidae.

the call of the cuckoo, or an imitation of it.

Slang. a crazy, silly, or foolish person; simpleton.

verb (used without object), cuck·ooed, cuck·oo·ing.

to utter the call of the cuckoo or an imitation of it.

verb (used with object), cuck·ooed, cuck·oo·ing.

to repeat monotonously.

adjective

Slang. crazy; silly; foolish.

of, relating to, or like a cuckoo.

Origin of cuckoo

1200–50; Middle English cuc(c)u, cuccuk(e) (imitative); compare Latin cucūlus, French coucou, German Kuckuk, Dutch koekoek, Modern Greek koûko

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cuckoo

fool, nuts, screwball, silly, clock, batty, daffy, insane, wacky

Examples from the Web for cuckoo

Contemporary Examples of cuckoo

We understand—who would want to give up the angelic Keita, even if it means raising a cuckoo?
The Oscar International Film Festival: ‘Stranger By the Lake’ and Foreign Films You Should Watch
Jimmy So
February 2, 2014
She Said: Jace, their daughter was on the verge of another home invasion at the hands of Cuckoo Disfigured Larry.
The Craziest Show on TV
Jace Lacob, Maria Elena Fernandez
November 7, 2011

Historical Examples of cuckoo

The cuckoo clock struck nine, and Claude made a gesture of annoyance.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
Perhaps it was only the striking of the cuckoo clock in my room.
The Woman Thou Gavest Me
Hall Caine
When you get the cuckoo into the garden, build a wall round and keep it in.'
A Son of Hagar
Sir Hall Caine
For it's not I'll be the cuckoo to push you out, McMurrough, lad.
The Wild Geese
Stanley John Weyman
Come, my cuckoo; here we are at the bottom of the valley; now or never.
Hidden Hand
Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth

British Dictionary definitions for cuckoo

cuckoo

noun plural -oos

any bird of the family Cuculidae, having pointed wings, a long tail, and zygodactyl feet: order Cuculiformes. Many species, including the European cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and have a two-note call

informal an insane or foolish person

adjective

informal insane or foolish

interjection

an imitation or representation of the call of a cuckoo

verb -oos, -ooing or -ooed

(tr) to repeat over and over

(intr) to make the sound imitated by the word cuckoo

Word Origin for cuckoo

C13: from Old French cucu, of imitative origin; related to German kuckuck, Latin cucūlus, Greek kokkux

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cuckoo

mid-13c., from Old French cocu "cuckoo," also "cuckold," echoic of the male bird's mating cry (cf. Greek kokkyx, Latin cuculus, Middle Irish cuach, Sanskrit kokilas). Slang sense of "crazy" (adj.) is American English, 1918, but noun meaning "stupid person" is first recorded 1580s, perhaps from the bird's unvarying, oft-repeated call. The Old English name was geac, cognate with Old Norse gaukr, source of Scottish and northern English gowk. The Germanic words presumably originally were echoic, too, but had drifted in form. Cuckoo clock is from 1789.

Idioms and Phrases with cuckoo

cuckoo

see cloud-cuckoo land.