hoot

English

Etymology

From Middle English houten, huten, hoten, of North Germanic origin, from or related to Old Swedish huta (“to cast out in contempt”), related to Middle High German hiuzen, hūzen (“to call to pursuit”), Swedish hut (“begone”, interjection), Dutch hui (“ho, hallo”), Danish huj (“ho, hallo”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -uːt

Noun

hoot (plural hoots)

1. A derisive cry or shout.
2. The cry of an owl.
3. (US, slang) A fun event or person. (See hootenanny)
4. A small particle
   • 1878, John Hanson Beadle, Western Wilds, and the Men who Redeem Them, page 611, Jones Brothers, 1878 OCLC 7349592

     Well, it was Sunday morning, and the wheat nothing like ripe; but it was a chance, and I got onto my reaper and banged down every hoot of it before Monday night.

Usage notes

• (small particle) The term is nearly always encountered in a negative sense in such phrases as don't care a hoot or don't give two hoots.
• (derisive cry) The phrase a hoot and a holler has a very different meaning to hoot and holler. The former is a short distance, the latter is a verb of derisive cry.

Translations

derisive cry or shout

• Finnish: pilkkahuuto, buuaus
• French: huées (fr) f pl
• Russian: гиканье (ru) n (gíkanʹje), улюлюканье (ru) n (uljuljúkanʹje), уханье (ru) n (úxanʹje)

• Spanish: ululato m, grito (es) m, chillo (es) m

cry of an owl

• Esperanto: ululo
• Finnish: huhuilu
• French: hululement (fr) m, ululement (fr) m

• Maori: koukou, whero, whero, terekou
• Russian: уханье (ru) n (úxanʹje)
• Spanish: ululato m, grito (es) m, chillo (es) m

fun event, blast

Verb

hoot (third-person singular simple present hoots, present participle hooting, simple past and past participle hooted)

1. To cry out or shout in contempt.
   • Dryden

     Matrons and girls shall hoot at thee no more.

2. To make the cry of an owl.
   • Shakespeare

     the clamorous owl that nightly hoots

3. To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts; to follow with derisive shouts.
   • Jonathan Swift

     Partridge and his clan may hoot me for a cheat.

Translations

To cry out or shout in contempt

• Finnish: buuata
• French: huer (fr)

• Russian: гикать (ru) (gíkatʹ), улюлюкать (ru) (uljuljúkatʹ), ухать (ru) (úxatʹ)

To make the cry of an owl

• Dutch: oehoeën (nl)
• Esperanto: ululi
• Finnish: huhuilla

• French: hululer (fr), ululer (fr)
• Maori: koukou
• Russian: ухать (ru) (úxatʹ)

To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts

• French: huer (fr), railler (fr)

See also

• hooter
• hootenanny

Anagrams

• otoh, OTOH

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Middle English

Adjective

hoot

1. hot

Descendants

• English: hot

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Scots

Interjection

hoot

1. Precedes a disagreeing or contradictory statement.

Usage notes

• Frequently used in the set phrase Hoots mon.