cuckoo

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkʊkuː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkuːkuː/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

cuckoo (comparative more cuckoo, superlative most cuckoo)

1. Crazy; not sane.

Noun

cuckoo (plural cuckoos)

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.

Verb

cuckoo (third-person singular simple present cuckoos, present participle cuckooing, simple past and past participle cuckooed)

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