Nearby Words

Cockaigne

[ko-keyn] Origin

Cock·aigne

[ko-keyn]
noun
a fabled land of luxury and idleness.
Also, Cockayne.


Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English cokaygn(e) < Middle French (paide) cocaigne (land of) Cockaigne, idler's paradise < Middle Low German kōkenje, equivalent to kōken (see cookie) + -je diminutive suffix
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Cockaigne is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Cockaigne or Cockayne (kɒˈkeɪn)
 
n
medieval legend an imaginary land of luxury and idleness
 
[C14: from Old French cocaigne, from Middle Low German kōkenje small cake (of which the houses in the imaginary land are built); related to Spanish cucaña, Italian cuccagna]
 
Cockayne or Cockayne
 
n
 
[C14: from Old French cocaigne, from Middle Low German kōkenje small cake (of which the houses in the imaginary land are built); related to Spanish cucaña, Italian cuccagna]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cockaigne
c.1300, from O.Fr. coquaigne "lubberland," imaginary country, abode of luxury and idleness. Of obscure origin, speculation centers on words related to cook (v.) and cake (cf. Big Rock Candy Mountain).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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