mooncalf

[moon-kaf, -kahf]

See more synonyms for mooncalf on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural moon·calves.

a congenitally grossly deformed and mentally defective person.
a foolish person.
a person who spends time idly daydreaming.

Origin of mooncalf

First recorded in 1555–65; moon + calf¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for mooncalf

ass, blockhead, bonehead, boob, bore, buffoon, clod, clown, cretin, dimwit, dolt, dope, dunce, idiot, ignoramus, illiterate, imbecile, innocent, jackass, jerk

Examples from the Web for mooncalf

Historical Examples of mooncalf

I turned and saw a knight, who asked me why I gaped like a mooncalf at the torn bird.
King Arthur's Knights
Henry Gilbert
And tie 'em in any string, or do you take me for a mooncalf?
Wilderness of Spring
Edgar Pangborn
Only a mooncalf, with a porridge-bowl instead of a head, could have mistaken these remarks.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, 1890.05.10
Various
Once when I heard the word ‘mooncalf’ and asked what it meant, some one at home told me that mooncalves were deformed children.
Sleep Walking and Moon Walking
Isidor Isaak Sadger
In 1661, one of Dame Ursula's particular orders to Mooncalf was to froth the cans well.
Merrie England In The Olden Time, Vol. 2 (of 2)
George Daniel

British Dictionary definitions for mooncalf

mooncalf

noun plural -calves (-ˌkɑːvz)

a born fool; dolt
a person who idles time away
obsolete a freak or monster

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