cuckold

[kuhk-uhld]

noun

1. the husband of an unfaithful wife.

verb (used with object)

1. to make a cuckold of (a husband).

cuckold

/ ˈkʌkəld /

noun

1. a man whose wife has committed adultery, often regarded as an object of scorn

verb

1. (tr) to make a cuckold of

Other Word Forms

• cuckoldly adverb
• cuckoldry noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cuckold¹

1200–50; Middle English cukeweld, later cok ( k ) ewold, cukwold < Anglo-French *cucuald (compare Middle French cucuault ), equivalent to Old French cocu cuckoo + -ald, -alt pejorative suffix ( ribald ); apparently originally applied to an adulterer, in allusion to the cuckoo's habit of laying its eggs in other birds' nests

Word History and Origins

Origin of cuckold¹

C13 cukeweld, from Old French cucuault, from cucu _cuckoo ; perhaps an allusion to the parasitic cuckoos that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds

Example Sentences

Popular among the far right and the gutters of social media, the term is used to insult liberals as weak and is also short for “cuckold,” which refers to the husband of an unfaithful wife.

From Los Angeles Times

It is also short for “cuckold,” the husband of an unfaithful wife.

From Los Angeles Times

A member of a traveling theater troupe, Paul has been abandoned in a small-town hospital after a cuckolded husband conked him on the head.

From Los Angeles Times

His small, pressured crew viewed those incest victims and cuckolded spouses as fresh meat for their sausage grinder.

From Salon

It's just a litany of images of everything that allegedly makes men "cultural cuckolds": seeing gay couples, seeing drag queens, being nice to other people, drinking Budweiser.

From Salon

Related Words

• cuck