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Added 10 October 2026

loon

/ˈluːn/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about loon at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A crazy or deranged person; a lunatic.
An idler, a lout.
A boy, a lad.

noun

Any of various birds, of the order Gaviiformes, of North America and Europe that dive for fish and have a short tail, webbed feet and a yodeling cry.

Origin

From Middle English louen, lowen (“rascal; rogue”), probably of Middle Dutch or Middle Low German origin. Compare Dutch loen (“simpleton”). Or, related to etymology 2, due to the bird's loud cry. Folk etymology associates it slang-wise with lunatic, though the latter may have influenced it; see loony.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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