oaf
- a clumsy, stupid person; lout.
- a simpleton; dunce; blockhead.
- Archaic.
- a deformed or mentally deficient child.
- a changeling.
Origin of oaf
Synonyms for oaf
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Related Words for oaf
clod, fool, moron, dunce, idiot, goon, lout, brute, loser, beast, chump, blunderer, imbecile, clown, simpleton, klutz, nincompoop, sap, dolt, bruiserExamples from the Web for oaf
Historical Examples of oaf
With Bill Forrester dead, then, had she turned to the oaf for comfort?
Pagan PassionsGordon Randall Garrett
The oaf shambled along, his arm no longer around Gerda's waist.
Pagan PassionsGordon Randall Garrett
Viewed objectively, there was nothing wrong with what the oaf was doing.
Pagan PassionsGordon Randall Garrett
He and Joe were well matched and with the oaf as an ally really he had all the best of it.
MercenaryDallas McCord Reynolds
For a double second he had the oaf alone on his hands and that was sufficient.
MercenaryDallas McCord Reynolds
oaf
- a stupid or loutish person
Word Origin for oaf
Word Origin and History for oaf
1620s, auf, oph (modern form from 1630s), "a changeling; a foolish child left by the fairies" [Johnson], from a Scandinavian source, cf. Norwegian alfr "silly person," in Old Norse, "elf" (see elf). Hence, "a misbegotten, deformed idiot." Until recently, some dictionaries still gave the plural as oaves.