cuckoo

cuckoo
\ \ [13] So distinctive is the cuckoo’s call that it is not always clear whether the names for the bird in various languages, based on the call, owe their similarity to borrowing or coincidence – Dutch, for instance, has koekoek, Russian kukúshka, Latin cuculus, and Greek kókkūx. In the case of English cuckoo, it seems to have been borrowed from Old French cucu, which was of imitative origin. Its first appearance is in the famous Cuckoo song of the late 13th century (‘Sumer is icumen in, lhude sing, cuccu!’), where it replaced the native Middle English word yeke (from Old English gēac, also of imitative origin).

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cuckoo — Cuck oo (k[oo^]k [=oo]), n. [OE. coccou, cukkow, F. coucou, prob. of imitative origin; cf. L. cuculus, Gr. ????, Skr. k?ki?a, G. kuckuk, D. koekoek.] (Zo[ o]l.) A bird belonging to {Cuculus}, {Coccyzus}, and several allied genera, of many species …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cuckoo — [ko͞o′ko͞o΄; ] also [ kook′o͞o] n. [ME < OFr coucou, cucu, echoic of the bird s cry] 1. any of a family (Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes) of birds with a long, slender body, grayish brown on top and white below: many, including the European… …   English World dictionary

  • cuckoo — (n.) mid 13c., from O.Fr. cocu cuckoo, also cuckold, echoic of the male bird s mating cry (Cf. Gk. kokkyx, L. cuculus, M.Ir. cuach, Skt. kokilas). Slang sense of crazy (adj.) is American English, 1918, but noun meaning stupid person is first… …   Etymology dictionary

  • cuckoo — ► NOUN ▪ a grey or brown bird known for the two note call of the male and for the habit of laying its eggs in the nests of small songbirds. ► ADJECTIVE informal ▪ crazy. ORIGIN Old French cucu, imitative of its call …   English terms dictionary

  • Cuckoo — For other uses, see Cuckoo (disambiguation). Cuckoo s nest redirects here. For other uses, see Cuckoo s nest (disambiguation). Cuckoos Yellow billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) …   Wikipedia

  • cuckoo — /kooh kooh, kook ooh/, n., pl. cuckoos, v., cuckooed, cuckooing, adj. n. 1. a common European bird, Cuculus canorus, of the family Cuculidae, noted for its characteristic call and its brood parasitism. 2. any of several other birds of the family… …   Universalium

  • cuckoo — 1. adjective /ˈkʊkuː,ˈkuːkuː/ Crazy; not sane. 2. noun /ˈkʊkuː,ˈkuːkuː/ a) Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae (from Latin cuculus cuckoo), famous for laying its eggs in the nests of other species; but especially the Common Cuckoo,… …   Wiktionary

  • cuckoo — /ˈkʊku / (say kookooh) noun 1. any of various birds of the widespread family Cuculidae, including the bronze cuckoos, many of which lay eggs in the nests of other birds which then raise the cuckoo s young, as the fan tailed cuckoo, Cacomantis… …  

  • cuckoo — n. & adj. n. any bird of the family Cuculidae, esp. Cuculus canorus, having a characteristic cry, and depositing its eggs in the nests of small birds. predic.adj. sl. crazy, foolish. Phrases and idioms: cuckoo clock a clock that strikes the hour… …   Useful english dictionary

  • cuckoo — cuck·oo || kÊŠkuː n. European songbird; bird related to the European cuckoo bird; call of the cuckoo bird characterized by two notes ; (Slang) crazy person, goofball, foolish person adj. of or pertaining to the cuckoo bird; resembling the… …   English contemporary dictionary

  • cuckoo — I. noun (plural cuckoos) Etymology: Middle English cuccu, of imitative origin Date: 13th century 1. a largely grayish brown European bird (Cuculus canorus) that is a parasite given to laying its eggs in the nests of other birds which hatch them… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”