hoot

See also: Hoot and hööt

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

• IPA^(key): /huːt/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːt

Noun

hoot (plural hoots)

1. A derisive cry or shout.
2. The cry of an owl.

   I heard the hoot of an owl.

3. (US, slang) A fun event or person. (See hootenanny)

   The party at the weekend was such a hoot! Thanks for the invite.

4. A small particle; a whit or jot.

   Synonym: (dated) hooter

   We don't care a hoot about what you think.

   • 1878, John Hanson Beadle, Western Wilds, and the Men who Redeem Them, Jones Brothers, OCLC 7349592, page 611:

     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

• (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.
• (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.

Translations

derisive cry or shout

• Bulgarian: дюдюкане (bg) n (djudjukane)
• Finnish: pilkkahuuto, buuaus
• French: huées (fr) f pl

• Russian: ги́канье (ru) n (gíkanʹje), улюлю́канье (ru) n (uljuljúkanʹje), у́ханье (ru) n (úxanʹje)
• Spanish: ululato (es) m, grito (es) m, chillo (es) m

cry of an owl

• Bulgarian: ухане n (uhane)
• Catalan: xut (ca) m
• Esperanto: ululo
• Finnish: huhuilu (fi)
• French: hululement (fr) m, ululement (fr) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: κικκαβαῦ (kikkabaû)

• Italian: ululo (it) m

• Maori: koukou, whero (mi), whero (mi), terekou
• Polish: pohukiwanie (pl) n
• Russian: у́ханье (ru) n (úxanʹje)
• Spanish: ululato (es) m, grito (es) m, chillo (es) m
• Swedish: ho (sv) n
• Tagalog: wahu
• Ukrainian: у́хання n (úxannja)

fun event, blast

• German: Spaßveranstaltung f, Spaßmacher (de) m
• Spanish: pera (es) f, polla (es) f, risión

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.
   • 1711, John Dryden, “Satire IX”, in Dryden’s Juvenal:

     Matrons and girls shall hoot at thee no more,

2. To make the cry of an owl, a hoo.
   • c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene ii]:

     The clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders / At our quaint spirits.

   • 1926, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Land of Mist‎^[1]:

     Outside an owl was hooting most dismally in the darkness. The villa was on a by-road, and there was no human sound to link them up with life.

3. To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts; to follow with derisive shouts.
   • 1708, Isaac Bickerstaff [Jonathan Swift], Predictions for the Year 1708‎^[2]:

     And I will be content, that Partridge, and the rest of his Clan, may hoot me for a Cheat and Impostor, if I fail in any single Particular of Moment.

   Mary felt extremely offended when the workers hooted at her.

4. To sound the horn of a vehicle

   When you arrive to pick me up, hoot, and I'll come outside.

Translations

To cry out or shout in contempt

• Bulgarian: дюдюкам (bg) (djudjukam)
• Finnish: buuata (fi)
• French: huer (fr)

• Latin: cano (la)
• Russian: ги́кать (ru) (gíkatʹ), улюлю́кать (ru) (uljuljúkatʹ), у́хать (ru) (úxatʹ)

To make the cry of an owl

• Bulgarian: ухам (uham)
• Catalan: esgaripar (ca)
• Dutch: oehoeën (nl)
• Esperanto: ululi
• Finnish: huhuilla (fi)
• French: hululer (fr), ululer (fr), bubuler (fr), boubouler (fr)
• Hungarian: huhog (hu)

• Maori: koukou, peho, pehopeho
• Polish: pohukiwać (pl) impf, hukać impf
• Russian: у́хать (ru) (úxatʹ)
• Spanish: ulular (es)
• Swedish: hoa (sv)
• Tagalog: wumahu
• Ukrainian: у́хати impf (úxaty), пугу́кати impf (puhúkaty)

To assail with contemptuous cries or shouts

• French: huer (fr), railler (fr)

See also

• give a hoot
• hooter
• hootenanny

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• owl hoot
• owl hoot trail

Anagrams

• Htoo, OTOH, otoh, thoo, toho

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Finnish

Noun

hoot

1. Nominative plural form of hoo.

Anagrams

• Ohto, ohto, toho

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Middle English

Adjective

hoot

1. hot

Descendants

• English: hot

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Scots

Alternative forms

• hout, hut, hute, howt, het

Etymology

Imitative. Compare English tut, Scottish Gaelic och.

Interjection

hoot

1. Precedes a disagreeing or contradictory statement.
2. An expression of annoyance or disapproval.

Usage notes

• Frequently used in the set phrases hoot mon or hoots mon.

Derived terms

• hoot awa
• hoot aye
• hoot fie, hoot fye
• hoot mon, hoots mon
• hoot na
• hoot-toot, hoots-toots, hout tout
• hoot-ye

Noun

hoot (plural hoots)

1. A term of contempt.

Verb

hoot (third-person singular simple present hoots, present participle hootin, simple past hootit, past participle hootit)

1. (transitive or intransitive) To dismiss idly with contempt or derision; to flout; to pooh-pooh.

Derived terms

• houttie (“irritable”)

References

• “hoot” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.