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- 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.
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A person who has an intellectual disability (now offensive). In later use also: an incompetent or ignorant person (slang. derogatory).
The earliest recorded example of mooncalf was in a thesaurus of 1565, in which the term was explicitly applied to a woman. The reference here was to a false pregnancy, to a growth in the womb that was not a foetus.
Mooncalf Definition - a foolish or absentminded person The earliest meaning of mooncalf was a false pregnancy, a growth in the womb supposedly influenced by a bad moon.
mooncalf in British English. (ˈmuːnˌkɑːf ) noun Word forms: plural -calves (-ˌkɑːvz ) 1. a person lacking intelligence. 2. a person who idles time away. 3. obsolete. a freak or monster.
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: “I’ll have to stand about on the sidelines, leaning on my crutches like a poor, pathetic mooncalf.”.
Mooncalf definition: a congenitally grossly deformed and mentally defective person.. See examples of MOONCALF used in a sentence.
