loon
A crazy or deranged personA crazy or deranged person; a lunatic.
» What's a loon?
Meaning
8 senses(slang)A crazy or deranged person; a lunatic.
Bekloppter, Verrückter, Irrer
безумецbezumec
(Scotland, Ulster)A boy, a lad.
(Scotland)A harlot; mistress.
(Scotland)A simpleton.
(Ireland, historical)An English soldier of an expeditionary army in Ireland.
A round area of pavement that protrudes from one side of a road to accommodate turning vehicles with a wide turning circle.
(Canada, US)Any of various birds, of the order Gaviiformes, of North America and Europe that dive for fish and have a short tail, webbed feet and a yodeling cry.
Seetaucher
гага́раgagára
гагараhahara
(obsolete)An idler, a lout.
Traumtänzer, Faulenzer
- large somewhat primitive fish-eating diving bird of the Northern Hemisphere having webbed feet placed far back; related to the grebes
- a worthless lazy fellow
- a person with confused ideas; incapable of serious thought
Examples
9 sentencesWhat's a loon?
Tom said you were a loon.
Because there's a red-throated loon on the coin.
You always make me out to be some loon.
Tom is a loon.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 3
Origin
From Middle English louen, lowen (“rascal; rogue”), probably of Middle Dutch or Middle LowFrom Middle English louen, lowen (“rascal; rogue”), probably of Middle Dutch or Middle Low German origin. Compare Dutch loen (“simpleton”). Or, related to etymology 2, due to the bird's loud cry. Folk etymology associates it slang-wise with lunatic, though the latter may have influenced it; see loony.
Of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse lómr (“loon”), ultimately imitative of the bird's cry, particularly when it's in danger. Distantly related to lament, probably sharing Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (expressive root).
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Forms
plural: loonsSynonyms
8 synonyms- large somewhat primitive fish-eating diving bird of the Northern Hemisphere having webbed feet placed far back; related to the grebes:diver
- a person with confused ideas; incapable of serious thought:addle-headaddleheadbirdbrain