• Cuckold

    Pronunciation

    • Rhymes: -əʊld
    • UK IPA: /ˈkÊŒk.əʊld/, /ˈkÊŒk.É™ld/
    • US IPA: /ˈkÊŒk.oÊŠld/, /ˈkÊŒk.É™ld/

    Origin

    Derived from Old French cucuault; a compound of cucu ("cuckoo"; some varieties of the cuckoo bird lay their eggs in another’s nest) and Old French -auld. Cucu is either a directly derived onomatopoeic derivative of the cuckoo's call, or from Latin cuculus. Latin cuculus is a compound of onomatopoeic cucu (compare Late Latin cucus) and the diminutive suffix -ulus. -auld is from Frankish *-wald (similar suffixes are used in some personal names within other Germanic languages as well; confer English Harold, for instance), a suffixal note of Frankish *wald ("power, mastery, dominion"), from Proto-Germanic *waldą ("might, power, authority"), from *waldaną ("to rule"), from Proto-Indo-European *wal- ("to be strong"). Appears in Middle English in noun form circa 1250 as cokewald. First known use of the verb form is 1589.

    Full definition of cuckold

    Noun

    cuckold

    (plural cuckolds)
    1. A man married to an unfaithful wife, especially when he is unaware or unaccepting of the fact.
    2. A West Indian plectognath fish, .
    3. The cowfish, and allied species.

    Usage notes

    This was a standard comic figure in medieval and Shakespearean drama.

    Synonyms

    Hyponyms

    Derived terms

    Verb

    1. (transitive) To make a cuckold of someone by being unfaithful, or by seducing his wife.
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