cuckold

Etymology

From Middle English cokolde, cokewold, cockewold, kukwald, kukeweld, 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.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊld
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌk.əʊld/, /ˈkʌk.əld/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌk.oʊld/, /ˈkʌk.əld/

Noun

cuckold (plural cuckolds)

1. A man married to an unfaithful wife, especially when he is unaware or unaccepting of the fact.
   • 1546, François Rabelais, The Third Book, Chapter 36

     If I never marry, I shall never be a cuckold.

2. A West Indian plectognath fish, Rhinesomus.
3. The cowfish, Acanthostracion quadricornis and allied species.

Verb

cuckold (third-person singular simple present cuckolds, present participle cuckolding, simple past and past participle cuckolded)

1. (transitive) To make a cuckold or cuckquean of someone by being unfaithful, or by seducing their partner or spouse.
   • 2008, Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content 1319: The Flimsiest of Logic

     Hey, I would never cuckold one of my friends. That’s way not cool.