mooncalf

[ moon-kaf, -kahf ]

/ ˈmunˌkæf, -ˌkɑf /

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.

Nearby words

moon-eyed, moon-faced, moonball, moonbeam, moonbow, mooncalf, moonchild, mooned, mooneye, moonfish, moonflower

Origin of mooncalf

First recorded in 1555–65; moon + calf¹

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

Examples from the Web for mooncalf

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
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
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

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

British Dictionary definitions for mooncalf

mooncalf

/ (ˈmuːnˌkɑːf) /

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

mooncalf

noun, plural moon·calves.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of mooncalf

Examples from the Web for mooncalf

British Dictionary definitions for mooncalf

mooncalf

noun plural -calves (-ˌkɑːvz)