cuckoo

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a man who is a stupid incompetent fool
  2. noun any of numerous European and North American birds having pointed wings and a long tail
  3. verb repeat monotonously, like a cuckoo repeats his call

Etymology

From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”). Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk. The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism. The Malaysian and Singaporean sense is a Calque of Hokkien 咕咕鳥 /咕咕鸟 (ku-kú-chiáu)

In classic literature

Synonyms

fathead, goof, goofball, bozo, jackass, goose, twat, zany

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