cuckoo

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cuck·oo

 (ko͞o′ko͞o, ko͝ok′o͞o)
n. pl. cuck·oos
1.
a. A grayish bird (Cuculus canorus) of Eurasia and Africa that has a characteristic two-note call and lays its eggs in the nests of birds of other species.
b. Any of various other birds of the family Cuculidae.
2. The call or cry of one of these birds.
3. Slang A foolish or crazy person.
tr.v. cuck·ooed, cuck·oo·ing, cuck·oos
To repeat incessantly, as a cuckoo does its call.
adj. Slang
Lacking in sense; foolish or crazy.

[Middle English cuccu, of imitative origin.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cuckoo

(ˈkʊkuː)
n, pl -oos
1. (Animals) any bird of the family Cuculidae, having pointed wings, a long tail, and zygodactyl feet: order Cuculiformes. Many species, including the European cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and have a two-note call
2. informal an insane or foolish person
adj
informal insane or foolish
interj
an imitation or representation of the call of a cuckoo
vb, -oos, -ooing or -ooed
3. (tr) to repeat over and over
4. (intr) to make the sound imitated by the word cuckoo
[C13: from Old French cucu, of imitative origin; related to German kuckuck, Latin cucūlus, Greek kokkux]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cuck•oo

(ˈku ku, ˈkʊk u)

n., pl. -oos,
v.
adj. n.
1. any of various usu. slim, stout-billed, long-tailed birds of the order Cuculiformes: many species noted for their brood parasitism.
2. a common Eurasian cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, with a monotonously repeated call.
3. the call of this cuckoo.
4. Informal. a crazy or foolish person.
v.t.
5. to repeat monotonously.
adj.
6. Informal. crazy; silly; foolish.
[1200–50; Middle English cuc(c)u, cuccuk(e) (imitative)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

cuckoo


Past participle: cuckooed
Gerund: cuckooing

Imperative
cuckoo
cuckoo
Present
I cuckoo
you cuckoo
he/she/it cuckoos
we cuckoo
you cuckoo
they cuckoo
Preterite
I cuckooed
you cuckooed
he/she/it cuckooed
we cuckooed
you cuckooed
they cuckooed
Present Continuous
I am cuckooing
you are cuckooing
he/she/it is cuckooing
we are cuckooing
you are cuckooing
they are cuckooing
Present Perfect
I have cuckooed
you have cuckooed
he/she/it has cuckooed
we have cuckooed
you have cuckooed
they have cuckooed
Past Continuous
I was cuckooing
you were cuckooing
he/she/it was cuckooing
we were cuckooing
you were cuckooing
they were cuckooing
Past Perfect
I had cuckooed
you had cuckooed
he/she/it had cuckooed
we had cuckooed
you had cuckooed
they had cuckooed
Future
I will cuckoo
you will cuckoo
he/she/it will cuckoo
we will cuckoo
you will cuckoo
they will cuckoo
Future Perfect
I will have cuckooed
you will have cuckooed
he/she/it will have cuckooed
we will have cuckooed
you will have cuckooed
they will have cuckooed
Future Continuous
I will be cuckooing
you will be cuckooing
he/she/it will be cuckooing
we will be cuckooing
you will be cuckooing
they will be cuckooing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been cuckooing
you have been cuckooing
he/she/it has been cuckooing
we have been cuckooing
you have been cuckooing
they have been cuckooing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been cuckooing
you will have been cuckooing
he/she/it will have been cuckooing
we will have been cuckooing
you will have been cuckooing
they will have been cuckooing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been cuckooing
you had been cuckooing
he/she/it had been cuckooing
we had been cuckooing
you had been cuckooing
they had been cuckooing
Conditional
I would cuckoo
you would cuckoo
he/she/it would cuckoo
we would cuckoo
you would cuckoo
they would cuckoo
Past Conditional
I would have cuckooed
you would have cuckooed
he/she/it would have cuckooed
we would have cuckooed
you would have cuckooed
they would have cuckooed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.cuckoo - a man who is a stupid incompetent foolcuckoo - a man who is a stupid incompetent fool
fool, muggins, saphead, tomfool, sap - a person who lacks good judgment
2.cuckoo - any of numerous European and North American birds having pointed wings and a long tail
cuculiform bird - birds having zygodactyl feet (except for the touracos)
Cuculidae, family Cuculidae - includes cuckoo; ani; roadrunner
Cuculus canorus, European cuckoo - common cuckoo of Europe having a distinctive two-note call; lays eggs in the nests of other birds
black-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus - North American cuckoo; builds a nest and rears its own young
chaparral cock, Geococcyx californianus, roadrunner - speedy largely terrestrial bird found from California and Mexico to Texas
ani - black tropical American cuckoo
coucal - Old World ground-living cuckoo having a long dagger-like hind claw
Verb1.cuckoo - repeat monotonously, like a cuckoo repeats his call
echo, repeat - to say again or imitate; "followers echoing the cries of their leaders"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

cuckoo

noun
Slang. A person regarded as strange, eccentric, or crazy:
Informal: crank, loon, loony.
adjective
Slang. Afflicted with or exhibiting irrationality and mental unsoundness:
Informal: bonkers, cracked, daffy, gaga, loony.
Chiefly British: crackers.
Idioms: around the bend, crazy as a loon, mad as a hatter, not all there, nutty as a fruitcake, off one's head, off one's rocker, of unsound mind, out of one's mind, sick in the head, stark raving mad.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
وَقْواقوَقْواق، طائر الكوكو
kukačka
gøg
kukolo
kägu
käkikukkuakukkuukukuntahokea
kukavica
kakukk
gaukur
カッコウ
뻐꾸기
gegutė
dzeguze
cuc
kukučka
kukavica
gök
นกชนิดหนึ่งที่วางไข่ในรังนกอื่น
зозуля
chim cu

cuckoo

[ˈkʊkuː]
A. Ncuco m, cuclillo m
B. ADJloco, lelo
C. CPD cuckoo clock Nreloj m de cuco, cucú m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

cuckoo

[ˈkʊkuː] n (= bird) → coucou mcuckoo clock npendule f à coucou, coucou m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

cuckoo

nKuckuck m; (= insect)Schaumzikade f
adj pred (inf)meschugge (inf); to go cuckooüberschnappen (inf)

cuckoo

:
cuckoo clock
nKuckucksuhr f
cuckoopint
n (Bot) → Gefleckter Aronsstab
cuckoo spit
n (= secretion)Kuckucksspeichel m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

cuckoo

[ˈkʊkuː]
1. ncuculo, cucù m inv
2. adj (fam) → tocco/a, matto/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

cuckoo

(ˈkukuː) plural ˈcuckoos noun
a bird, named after its call, which lays eggs in the nests of other birds.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

cuckoo

وَقْواق kukačka gøg Kuckuck κούκος cuclillo käki coucou kukavica cuculo カッコウ 뻐꾸기 koekoek gjøk kukułka cuco кукушка gök นกชนิดหนึ่งที่วางไข่ในรังนกอื่น guguk kuşu chim cu 杜鹃
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Poyser, in a hoarse whisper; "Christian folks can't be married like cuckoos, I reckon."
Can you not hear the cuckoo call, even though the lamps may be lit and the winter wind be shrill without?
Instincts comparable with habits, but different in their origin -- Instincts graduated -- Aphides and ants -- Instincts variable -- Domestic instincts, their origin -- Natural instincts of the cuckoo, ostrich, and parasitic bees -- Slave-making ants -- Hive-bee, its cell-making instinct - - Difficulties on the theory of the Natural Selection of instincts -- Neuter or sterile insects -- Summary.
Beyond the stream was heard the cuckoo. Twice she uttered her usual cuckoo call, and then gave a hoarse, hurried call and broke down.
'Cuckoo Song,' of the thirteenth century, intended to be sung in harmony by four voices:
For years my pet aversion had been the cuckoo clock; now here I was, at last, right in the creature's home; so wherever I went that distressing "HOO'hoo!
'It's a cuckoo's, sir - I know all about it: except where he was born, and who were his parents, and how he got his money at first.
According to Azara, this bird, like the cuckoo, deposits its eggs in other birds' nests.
The cuckoo lays its egg in the strange bird's nest, and when the young one is hatched it shoulders its foster-brothers out and breaks at last the nest that has sheltered it.
turned over on his back with a sepulchral cry of 'Cuckoo!' Since then I have been ravenless.
When the little hopeful leaves peep out so fresh and green, so pure and bright, like young lives pushing shyly out into the bustling world; when the fruit-tree blossoms, pink and white, like village maidens in their Sunday frocks, hide each whitewashed cottage in a cloud of fragile splendor; and the cuckoo's note upon the breeze is wafted through the woods!
And, suddenly, while the cuckoo was sounding the half after midnight, a desperate clamour broke out in The Yellow Room.