cuckoo
[koo-koo, koo k-oo]
- 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.
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- to utter the call of the cuckoo or an imitation of it.
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- to repeat monotonously.
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- Slang. crazy; silly; foolish.
- of, relating to, or like a cuckoo.
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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. 2018
Examples from the Web for cuckoo
Contemporary Examples
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 WatchJimmy So
February 2, 2014
She Said: Jace, their daughter was on the verge of another home invasion at the hands of Cuckoo Disfigured Larry.
Historical Examples
The cuckoo clock struck nine, and Claude made a gesture of annoyance.
His MasterpieceEmile Zola
Perhaps it was only the striking of the cuckoo clock in my room.
The Woman Thou Gavest MeHall Caine
When you get the cuckoo into the garden, build a wall round and keep it in.'
A Son of HagarSir Hall Caine
For it's not I'll be the cuckoo to push you out, McMurrough, lad.
The Wild GeeseStanley John Weyman
Come, my cuckoo; here we are at the bottom of the valley; now or never.
Hidden HandEmma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth
cuckoo
- 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
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- informal insane or foolish
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- an imitation or representation of the call of a cuckoo
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- (tr) to repeat over and over
- (intr) to make the sound imitated by the word cuckoo
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Word Origin
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
n.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with cuckoo
cuckoo
see cloud-cuckoo land.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.