loon
pronunciation
How to pronounce loon in British English:
UK [lu:n]
How to pronounce loon in American English:
US [lun]
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- Noun:
- a worthless lazy fellow
- large somewhat primitive fish-eating diving bird of the northern hemisphere having webbed feet placed far back; related to the grebes
- a person with confused ideas; incapable of serious thought
Word Origin
- loon (n.1)
- large diving bird (especially the Great Northern Diver), 1630s, from a Scandinavian source (compare Norwegian lom, from Old Norse lomr).
- loon (n.2)
- "crazy person," mid-15c., lowen "rascal," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Dutch loen "stupid person."
Example
- 1. Van loon did not shy away from controversial statements .
- 2. The less the lame loon leaned on its little lame leg , the less the loon limped .
- 3. Van loon was my bridge.finally I had my shot .
- 4. A more serious charge against van loon was the sloppiness of his scholarship .
- 5. Although van loon served briefly on the vestry , he regarded the worship services as dispensable " hors d ' 'oeuvres . "