Cuckoo
/ˈkʊk.uː/noun
A bird of the family Cuculidae known for laying its eggs in other birds' nests; also a person considered foolish or crazy.
Did you know?In English, *cuckoo* became a label for madness because the bird’s haunting call was associated with odd, unseasonable behavior—and it also gave us the famous “cuckoo clock.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keuk-
“To cry out or make a sound”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kókkyx (κόκκυξ)
“Cuckoo”
Latin
Latin
cuculus
“Cuckoo”
Old French
Old French
coucou
“Cuckoo”
Middle English
English
cuckoo
“The cuckoo bird; later, a foolish or insane person”
Modern English
English
cuckoo
“A cuckoo bird; informal: eccentric or insane”