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loon - 8 dictionary results

loon

1  [loon]
Use loon in a Sentence
–noun
any of several large, short-tailed, web-footed, fish-eating diving birds of the genus Gavia, of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin:
1625–35; perh. alter. of loom 3

loon

2  [loon]
–noun
a crazy or simple-minded person.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME lowen, perh. < ON lūinn worn, tired; later influenced by loon 1 and loony
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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loon 1   (lōōn)   
n.  Any of several fish-eating, diving birds of the genus Gavia of northern regions, having a short tail, webbed feet, and a laughlike cry.

[Perhaps alteration of dialectal loom, guillemot, diver, from Old Norse lōmr.]
loon 2   (lōōn)   
n.   Informal
One who is crazy or deranged.

[Probably from loon1 (from its loud cry) and influenced by lunatic.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Loon

Loon\, n. [Scot. loun, lown, loon; akin to OD. loen a stupid man; prob. for an older lown, and akin to E. lame.] A sorry fellow; a worthless person; a rogue.

Loon

Loon\, n. [For older loom, Icel. l?mr; akin to Dan. & Sw. lom.] (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several aquatic, wed-footed, northern birds of the genus Urinator (formerly Colymbus), noted for their expertness in diving and swimming under water. The common loon, or great northern diver (Urinator imber, or Colymbus torquatus), and the red-throated loon or diver (U. septentrionalis), are the best known species. See Diver.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : loon
Spanish: salario, sueldo, paga, remuneración,
German: die Bezahlung,
Japanese: 報酬
More Translations »

loon  (1)
"diving bird" (esp. the Great Northern Diver), 1634, from a Scand. source (cf. Norw. lom, from O.N. lomr).

loon  (2)
"crazy person," c.1450, lowen "rascal," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Du. loen "stupid person."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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