I. ˈkü(ˌ)kü, ˈku̇(- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English cuccu, cuckow, of imitative origin like Middle Low German kukuk, Middle Dutch coecoec, Old French cucu, Latin cuculus, Greek kokkyx, Sanskrit kokila
1.
a. : a familiar European bird ( Cuculus canorus ) that is grayish brown above and white barred with dusky on the underparts and is noted for its characteristic two-syllabled whistle and for its habit of laying its eggs in the nests of other birds for them to hatch
b. : any member of the large family (Cuculidae) to which this bird belongs — see ani , black-billed cuckoo , coucal , roadrunner
2.
a. : the call of the cuckoo
b. : any repeated vapid calling or utterance
3. music : a whistle that imitates the song of the cuckoo
4. : a silly or slightly crackbrained person : one erratic in behavior
[s]cuckoo.jpg[/s] [
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II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to repeat monotonously as a cuckoo does its call
intransitive verb
: to utter the call of the cuckoo or a sound like it
III. adjective
1.
a. : of or resembling the cuckoo
b. of a domestic fowl : barred like the underparts of the cuckoo
2.
a. : silly , stupid , crazy
b. : dazed or unconscious especially from a blow
knocked him cuckoo
3.
a. : like a cuckoo in habits
b. of certain ants : living as social parasites