From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”).
Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk.
The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism.
The Malaysian and Singaporean sense is a calque of Hokkien 咕咕鳥 /咕咕鸟 (ku-kú-chiáu)
Meanings
(slang) Crazy; not sane.
71...R/3xN†? [White] resigns?? Lengyel combined to get this cuckoo coup expecting 72 RxR BxP† to win. And Darga's mind, apparently in the same channel, also overlooked 73 K-K3. 1964 August, “Amsterdam Interzonal”, in Chess Review:
From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”).
Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk.
The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism.
The Malaysian and Singaporean sense is a calque of Hokkien 咕咕鳥 /咕咕鸟 (ku-kú-chiáu)
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae within the order Cuculiformes, famous for laying its eggs in the nests of other species; but especially a common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), that has a characteristic two-note call.
He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo,
By the bad voice. c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
At dawn they fly away, none knows whither. On the eve of the death of any other Tanville-Tankerton, comes (no matter what be the time of year) a cuckoo. It stays for an hour, cooing, then flies away, none knows whither. Whenever this portent occurs, my steward telegraphs to me, that I, as head of the family, be not unsteeled against the shock of a bereavement, and that my authority be sooner given for the unsealing and garnishing of the family-vault. 1911 October 26, Max Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson, or, An Oxford Love Story, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: John Lane Company, published 1912, →OCLC:
(countable, uncountable) The sound of that particular bird.
(countable, uncountable) The bird-shaped figure found in cuckoo clocks.
(countable, uncountable) The cuckoo clock itself.
(countable, uncountable) A person who inveigles themselves into a place where they should not be (used especially in the phrase a cuckoo in the nest).
(countable, slang, uncountable) Someone who is crazy.
(alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable) Alternative form of coo-coo (Barbadian food).
br koukoug (the bird) · pt cuco (the bird) · vi cu cu (the bird) · ru ку-ку́ (someone crazy — see also crazy) · no ko-ko (the sound) · kjh кӧӧк (the bird) · da gøg (the bird) · uk зозу́ля (the bird) · cy cog (the bird) · non gaukr (the bird) · ba кәкүк (the bird) · cs kukačka (the bird) · fur cuců (the bird) · te కోకిల (the bird) · kaa a'tsho'k (the bird) · ko 두견새 (the bird) · rom kukuriezo (the bird) · fr coucou (someone crazy — see also crazy) · bg чалнат (someone crazy — see also crazy) · et kukulind (the bird) · ta குயில் (the bird) · liv kukūlind (the bird) · wyi wurrk-wurrk (the bird) · hu zakkant (someone crazy — see also crazy) · nl koekoek (the sound) · nds Kuukuuk (the bird) · xal шонтл (the bird) · bsk kapo (the bird) · ga cuach (the bird) · eu kuku (the bird) · fy koekoek (the bird) · az quququşu (the bird) · gd cuthag (the bird) · es cuco (the bird) · xsv geguze (the bird) · smj ránatjalådde (the bird) · smi giehka (the bird) · ca cucut (the bird) · et kuku (the sound) · cmn 布穀鳥 /布谷鸟 (the bird) · mk ку-ку (the sound) · uz kakku (the bird) · vi cúc cu (the bird) · kw koukou (the bird) · vi cu cu (the sound) · ket ӄоӄпунь (the bird) · smj giehka (the bird) · kk көк-көк (the sound) · pl kukułka (the bird) · ja 郭公 (the bird) · et uhhuu (someone crazy — see also crazy) · sma gïege (the bird) · hi कोकिला (the bird) · ga cu-cú (the sound) · lv dzeguze (the bird) · vi cúc cu (the sound) · ja 風狂の人 (someone crazy — see also crazy) · ml കോകിലം (the bird) · hu dilis (someone crazy — see also crazy) · gv cooag (the bird) · fr coucou (the sound) · be зязю́ля (the bird) · cmn 杜鵑 /杜鹃 (the bird) · cy cwcw (the bird) · sa कोकिल (the bird) · sah кэҕэ (the bird) · ro cuc (the bird) · hsb kokula (the bird) · rup cuc (the bird) · lt kukuoti (the sound) · de kuckuck (the sound) · ka გუგული (the bird) · et kägu (the bird) · ml കുയിൽ (the bird) · ja カッコウ (the bird) · sc cucui (the bird) · tg олучахӯрак (the bird) · nrf coucou (the bird) · sc cucuevvai (the bird) · sc cucumarei (the bird) · sw kekeo (the bird) · uz kakkuqush (the bird) · sc cucu (the bird) · et kellakägu (bird-shaped figure in cuckoo clock) · it cucù (the bird) · ast cucu (the bird) · kca-eas кӓви (the bird) · ko 뻐꾸기 (the bird) · eo kukolo (the bird) · sh кукавица (the bird) · is gaukur (the bird) · io kukulo (the bird) · cmn 狂者 (someone crazy — see also crazy) · tr guguk kuşu (the bird) · alt кӱӱк (the bird) · nn gauk (the bird) · grc κόκκυξ (the bird) · hu buggyant (someone crazy — see also crazy) · sv gök (the bird) · es críalo (the bird) · rom kukuriashka (the bird) · es cuclillo (the bird) · ckt ӄэӄуӄ (the bird) · ru ку-ку (the sound) · it cu cu (the sound) · yi קוקו (the bird) · et kukkumine (the sound) · nl koekoek (the bird) · ru куку́шка (the bird) · ltg kiukuot (the sound) · tl kakok (the bird) · ast cuquiellu (the bird) · lb Guckuck (the bird) · hu kakukk (the bird) · it cuculo (the bird) · sc cucuperra (the bird) · sv kucku (the sound) · sh kukavica (the bird) · uli kuku (the bird) · fi käki (bird-shaped figure in cuckoo clock) · gd cuach (the bird) · dsb kukawa (the bird) · ltg dzagiuze (the bird) · fr coucou (the bird) · ar وَقْوَاق (the bird) · sc cucuperrai (the bird) · kk көкек (the bird) · vo kukuk (the bird) · fr coucoulement (the sound) · bg кукане (the sound) · cjs кӧӧк (the bird) · tk ikatäk (the bird) · oc cocut (the bird) · wa coucou (the bird) · oc coguol (the bird) · fi käki (the bird) · ast pecú (the bird) · hi कूकू (the sound) · he קוּקִיָה (the bird) · de Kuckuck (the bird) · tr guguk (the sound) · ckt ӄэӄӄуӄ (the bird) · tr guguk (the bird) · mi kokoea (the bird) · ce оттйокх (the bird) · myv куко (the bird) · hi कोयल (the bird) · fo geykur (the bird) · vro kägo (the bird) · rm cucu (the bird) · ia cucu (the bird) · ang ġēac (the bird) · ckt ӄэӄучьын (the bird) · sl kukavica (the bird) · liv käg (the bird) · hu kakukk (the sound) · tg фохтак (the bird) · vep kägi (the bird) · bg кукуви́ца (the bird) · nb gauk (the bird) · tg куку (the bird) · fa کوکو (the bird) · lv kūkot (the sound) · lld cuch (the bird) · et käokell (cuckoo clock — see also cuckoo clock) · lt gegužė (the bird) · nds kukuuk (the bird) · ar وَقْوَاقِيَّة (the bird) · lt gegutė (the bird) · gl cuco (the bird) · fur cuc (the bird) · sq qyqe (the bird) · sk kukučka (the bird) · mt daqquqa kaħla (the bird) · et kukku (the sound) · fi kukunta (the sound) · mn гүүг гүүг (the sound) · rom chuhuriashka (the bird) · oc coguou (the bird) · bg ку́кувица (the bird) · az ququ (the bird) · fi kukkuu (the sound) · gl cuquelo (the bird) · fur cucuc (the bird) · sms ǩiõkk (the bird) · hy կկու (the bird) · hu lökött (someone crazy — see also crazy) · la cucūlus (the bird) · el κούκος (the bird) · ast marmiellu (the bird) · mn гүг гүү (the sound) · kum атъёкъ (the bird) · grc κόκκυ (the sound) · nb gjøk (the bird) · vi chim cu (the bird) · rom chuhuriezo (the bird) · ur کویل (the bird) · smn kiehâ (the bird) · mk кука́вица (the bird)
From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”).
Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk.
The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism.
The Malaysian and Singaporean sense is a calque of Hokkien 咕咕鳥 /咕咕鸟 (ku-kú-chiáu)
Meanings
To make the call of a cuckoo.
Switzerland is the home of many musical toys and here were carved whistles in the shapes of birds. These cuckooed realistically when blown into, with the beak opening and shutting, and the tail moving up and down to produce the 'cuck' and the 'oooh'. 1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 174:
To repeat something incessantly.
(UK) To take over the home of a vulnerable person for the purposes of carrying out organized crime in a concealed way.
She'll have been cuckooed. That'll be the Knezevics. They can't launder fast enough, so what do you do with it? Where do you put it? You hide it in somebody else's place; somebody who han't got a clue what's going on and couldn't do a fat lot about it if they did. 2023, Sally Wainwright, 26:06 from the start, in Happy Valley, season 3, episode 2, spoken by Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire):
et leierdama (to repeat something incessantly) · gl cucar (to make the call of a cuckoo) · fi kukkua (to make the call of a cuckoo) · fi hokea (to repeat something incessantly) · mnc ᡨ᠋ᠣᠩᠰᡳᠮᠪᡳ (to make the call of a cuckoo) · bg ку́кам (to make the call of a cuckoo) · ru куковать (to make the call of a cuckoo) · ta கூவு (to make the call of a cuckoo) · pt cucular (to make the call of a cuckoo) · hu kakukkol (to make the call of a cuckoo) · hu ismételget (to repeat something incessantly) · hu szajkóz (to repeat something incessantly) · bg повтарям монотонно (to repeat something incessantly) · mk вергла (to repeat something incessantly) · pt cucar (to make the call of a cuckoo) · fr coucouler (to make the call of a cuckoo) · et käiama (to repeat something incessantly) · pl kukać (to make the call of a cuckoo) · et kukkuma (to make the call of a cuckoo) · sv gala (to make the call of a cuckoo) · mk кука (to make the call of a cuckoo) · cmg ᠱᠣᠭᠱᠤᠤᠷᠯᠠᠮᠦᠢ (to make the call of a cuckoo) · pl gęgać (to repeat something incessantly) · mi kūī (to make the call of a cuckoo) · et ketrama (to repeat something incessantly)