Cuckoo

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkÊŠkuː/ or IPA: /ˈkuːkuː/

Origin

From Old French cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately either onomatopoeic, or from Latin cuculus.

Full definition of cuckoo

Adjective

1. Crazy; not sane.

Noun

1. Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae, famous for laying its eggs in the nests of other species; but especially the common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, that has a characteristic two-note call.
2. The sound of that particular bird.
3. The bird shaped figure found in Swiss/German clocks (cuckoo clocks) or the clock itself.
4. Someone found where they shouldn't be (used especially in the phrase a cuckoo in the nest).
5. Someone who is crazy.

Related terms

• cuckoo clock
• cuckoo dove
• cuckoo shrike
• cuckoo's egg
• cloud-cuckoo-land
• cuculine (rare)
• cuckoo sign

Verb

1. To make the call of a cuckoo
2. To repeat something incessantly