cuckold

cuckold
cuck·old (kŭk’əld, ko͝ok’-)
n. A man whose wife is unfaithful.
tr.v. cuck·old·ed, cuck·old·ing, cuck·olds To make a cuckold of.
[Middle English cokewald, from Anglo-Norman *cucuald, from cucu, the cuckoo, from Vulgar Latin *cuccūlus, from Latin cucūlus.]
Word History: The allusion to the cuckoo on which the word cuckold is based may not be appreciated by those unfamiliar with the nesting habits of certain varieties of this bird. The female of some cuckoos lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving them to be cared for by the resident nesters. This parasitic tendency has given the female bird a figurative reputation for unfaithfulness as well. Hence in Old French we find the word cucuault, composed of cocu, "cuckoo, cuckold," and the pejorative suffix -ald, used to designate a husband whose wife has wandered afield like the female cuckoo. An earlier assumed form of the Old French word was borrowed into Middle English by way of Anglo-Norman. Middle English cokewold, the ancestor of Modern English cuckold, is first recorded in a work written around 1250.

Word Histories. 2014.

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  • Cuckold — is a historic derogatory term for a man who has an unfaithful wife. The word, which has been in recorded use since the 13th century, derives from the cuckoo which gives up nurturing its own by laying eggs in other birds nests. [1] In modern terms …   Wikipedia

  • Cuckold — Cuck old, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cuckolded}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Cuckolding}.] To make a cuckold of, as a husband, by seducing his wife, or by her becoming an adulteress. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cuckold — Cuck old (k?k ?ld), n. [OE. kukeweld, cokewold, cokold, fr. OF. coucoul, cucuault, the last syllable being modified by the OE. suffix wold (see {Herald}); cf. F. cocu a cuckold, formerly also, a cuckoo, and L. cuculus a cuckoo. The word alludes… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cuckold — ► NOUN ▪ the husband of an adulteress, regarded as an object of derision. ► VERB ▪ make (a married man) a cuckold. DERIVATIVES cuckoldry noun. ORIGIN Old French cucuault, from cucu cuckoo (from the cuckoo s habit of laying its egg in another bird …   English terms dictionary

  • cuckold — [kuk′əld] n. [ME cokewold < OFr cucuault < cucu (see CUCKOO): said to be in allusion to the female bird s habit of changing mates] a man whose wife has committed adultery vt. to make a cuckold of cuckoldry [kuk′əldrē] n …   English World dictionary

  • Cuckold — Als Cuckold (auch kurz als Cucki oder Cuck) wird vor allem in der BDSM Szene ein Mann bezeichnet, der in einer festen Partnerschaft oder Liebesbeziehung durch den intimen Kontakt seiner Partnerin mit anderen Männern (sogenanntes Fremdgehen)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • cuckold — {{11}}cuckold (n.) mid 13c., kukewald, from O.Fr. cucuault, from cocu (see CUCKOO (Cf. cuckoo)) + pejorative suffix ault, of Germanic origin. So called from the female bird s alleged habit of changing mates, or her authentic habit of leaving eggs …   Etymology dictionary

  • cuckold — I UK [ˈkʌkəʊld] / US [ˈkʌˌkoʊld] noun [countable] Word forms cuckold : singular cuckold plural cuckolds old fashioned an insulting word for a man whose wife has sex with another man II UK [ˈkʌkəʊld] / US [ˈkʌˌkoʊld] verb [transitive] Word forms… …   English dictionary

  • cuckold — 1. noun /ˈkʌk.əʊld,ˈkʌk.əld,ˈkʌk.oʊld,ˈkʌk.əld/ A man married to an unfaithful wife, especially when he is unaware or unaccepting of the fact. If I never marry, I shall never be a cuckold. 2. verb /ˈkʌk.əʊld,ˈkʌk.əld,ˈkʌk.oʊld,ˈkʌk.əld/ To make a …   Wiktionary

  • cuckold — cuck|old1 [ˈkʌkəld, ˈkʌkəuld US kəld] n old use [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: Probably from Old French cucuault, from cucu; CUCKOO1] an insulting word for a man whose wife has been having sex with another man cuckold 2 cuckold2 v [T] old use if a… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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