Hun

[huhn]

noun

1. a member of a nomadic and warlike Asian people who devastated or controlled large parts of eastern and central Europe and who exercised their greatest power under Attila in the 5th century a.d.

2. (often lowercase),  a barbarous, destructive person; vandal.

3. Older Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.,  a contemptuous term used to refer to a German, especially a German soldier in World War I or II.

Hun

/ hʌn /

noun

1. a member of any of several Asiatic nomadic peoples speaking Mongoloid or Turkic languages who dominated much of Asia and E Europe from before 300 _bc , invading the Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuries _a.d

2. informal,  (esp in World War I) a derogatory name for a German

3. informal,  a vandal

Sensitive Note

The disparaging and offensive use of this term likens the Germans to the barbarous and warlike Huns of the 4th and 5th centuries. The source of the comparison was a speech by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1900, encouraging German soldiers bound for China to act toward the Chinese just like “the Huns a thousand years ago.”

Other Word Forms

• Hunlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hun¹

before 900; 1895–1900 Hun for def. 3; singular of Huns, Old English Hūnas; cognate with Old Norse Hūnar; akin to Late Latin Hunnī

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hun¹

Old English Hūnas, from Late Latin Hūnī, from Turkish Hun-yū

Example Sentences

“The best first-act finale since Attila the Hun in Iambic Pentameter. Now, shall we purchase some snacks?”

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Under pressure from China, then-prime minister Hun Sen banned online gambling in August that year.

Read more on BBC

Meanwhile diplomacy provided Byzantium with the intelligence to deflect pressure from the Huns and otherwise shape the Byzantine near abroad to favor its own interests.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has said he nominated the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with "innovative diplomacy" that ended the clashes.

Read more on Barron's

He was close to then–Prime Minister Hun Sen’s family.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

What else does hun mean?

Hun can be a term of endearment, a phonetic spelling from a shortening of honey. It's also used as a derogatory slang term for women involved in multi-level marketing.