Search results
- mooncalf (English) Alternative forms moon-calf Origin & history From moon + calf, after a superstition that the moon caused abnormal fetal developement.
www.wordsense.eu/mooncalf/
People also ask
What does mooncalf mean?
What is a Moon Calf?
Is the noun mooncalf offensive?
What is a mooncalf in the first men in the Moon?
What is an example of a'mooncalf'?
Are Mooncalves a dewy-eyed mooncalf?
Feb 20, 2019 · Entries linking to moon-calf. calf (n.1) "young of a bovine animal," Old English cealf (Anglian cælf) "young cow," from Proto-Germanic *kalbam (source also of Middle Dutch calf, Old Norse kalfr, German Kalb, Gothic kalbo), perhaps from PIE *gelb (h)-, from root *gel- "to swell," hence, "womb, fetus, young of an animal."
- 한국어 (Korean)
moon-calf 뜻: 어리석은 사람; 또한 mooncalf는 "유산, 형태 없는 육질의 덩어리"를 뜻하는...
- Moonglow
In Greek, Italic, Celtic, and Armenian the cognate words now...
- 한국어 (Korean)
There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun mooncalf, three of which are labelled obsolete, and one of which is considered offensive. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
A mooncalf (or moon-calf) is a monstrous birth, the abortive fetus of a cow or other farm animal. The term was occasionally applied to an abortive human fetus.
Q From John McGinnis: In reading John Updike’s review of the new Sinclair Lewis biography in the current issue of the New Yorker, I came across the word mooncalf. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary offers a terse definition, ‘a foolish or absentminded person,’ and dates the word to 1614.
MEANING: noun: 1. A daydreamer or absent-minded person. 2. A fool or simpleton. 3. A congenitally deformed person. ETYMOLOGY: From the earlier belief that a misshapen birth was a result of the effects of the moon. Earliest documented use: 1565. USAGE:
Nov 4, 2009 · In a tradition of uncovering unkind words for people, today's word of the day is mooncalf, meaning a fool or a freak. It formerly was a name for an unformed embryo, said to have been created by the influence of the moon.
Noun. mooncalf ( pl. mooncalves) ( now rare) An abnormal mass within the uterus; a false conception. ( from 16th c.) 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 2 scene 2. Thou art very Trinculo indeed!
