loon1
[loon]
- any of several large, short-tailed, web-footed, fish-eating diving birds of the genus Gavia, of the Northern Hemisphere.
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Origin of loon1
First recorded in 1625–35; perhaps alteration of loom3
loon2
[loon]
- a crazy or simple-minded person.
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Origin of loon2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for loon
Contemporary Examples
That loon is known as “Dr. Who,” and his nerdy fans are legion.
There was Sen. Claire McCaskill, fresh after dispatching Tea Party loon Todd Akin, on Meet the Press.
Sticking with six brackets is supposedly meant to signal that he believes in a little stability and is not a loon.
As the loon brigades proved as they berated Precious, our humanity is the enemy of ideologues.
Next thing you know that loon Glenn Beck will have a hit TV show.
Historical Examples
As if one loon—I mean as if one Chapter member in the family wasn't enough.
Cap'n Dan's DaughterJoseph C. Lincoln
Then he threw off his main-hatch and "haw-hawed" like a loon.
Cape Cod StoriesJoseph C. Lincoln
Gin I could have come up in time, the loon had never risen from the ground.'
Two Penniless PrincessesCharlotte M. Yonge
Knowing what she knew of her brother, Loon Dyke could never again be her home.
The Hound From The NorthRidgwell Cullum
But a loon flapped up from the rushes, brushing the priest's face with its wings.
Lords of the NorthA. C. Laut
loon1
- the US and Canadian name for diver (def. 3)
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Word Origin
C17: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse lōmr
loon2
- informal a simple-minded or stupid person
- Northeast Scot dialect a lad
- archaic a person of low rank or occupation (esp in the phrase lord and loon)
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Word Origin
C15: origin obscure
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 loon
n.1
large diving bird (especially the Great Northern Diver), 1630s, from a Scandinavian source (cf. Norwegian lom, from Old Norse lomr).
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n.2
"crazy person," mid-15c., lowen "rascal," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Dutch loen "stupid person."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper