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Added 9 October 2026

hoot

/huːt/ noun

In Latin: cano Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about hoot at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A derisive cry or shout.
My performance drew hoots of derision from the crowd.
The cry of an owl.
I heard the hoot of an owl. Whoo, whoo!
A fun event or person.
The party at the weekend was such a hoot! Thanks for the invite.

verb

To cry out or shout in contempt.
To make a hoo, the cry of an owl.
To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts; to follow with derisive shouts.
Mary felt extremely offended when the workers hooted at her.

noun

Money, especially in the form of cash given as payment.

Origin

From Middle English houten, huten, hoten, assumed to be of North Germanic origin: Swedish hut! (“begone!”, interjection) (also dialectal Norwegian hut, Bornholm Danish hut, hot), Swedish huta (“to drive someone away (with calls)”), Old Swedish huta (“to cast out in contempt”), related to Swedish hojta (“to holler”), hojt (“a holler”), further related to Middle High German hiuzen, hūzen (“to call to pursuit”). Swedish hut is the common command to call off and silence barking (hunting) dogs on the pursuit. Compare Swedish veta hut (“know one's place, like a dog”, literally “to know 'hoot' (the command)”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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