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

• IPA^(key): /huːt/
• 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, 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

• (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: ги́канье (ru) n ‎(gíkanʹje), улюлю́канье (ru) n ‎(uljuljúkanʹje), у́ханье (ru) n ‎(úxanʹje)

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

cry of an owl

• Esperanto: ululo
• Finnish: huhuilu (fi)
• French: hululement (fr) m, ululement (fr) m
• Italian: ululo (it) m
• Maori: koukou, whero (mi), whero (mi), terekou

• Polish: pohukiwanie n
• Russian: у́ханье (ru) n ‎(úxanʹje)
• Spanish: ululato m, grito (es) m, chillo (es) m
• Tagalog: wahu

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)

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

To make the cry of an owl

• Dutch: oehoeën (nl)
• Esperanto: ululi
• Finnish: huhuilla (fi)
• French: hululer (fr), ululer (fr)

• Maori: koukou, peho, pehopeho
• Polish: pohukiwać impf, hukać impf
• Russian: у́хать (ru) ‎(úxatʹ)
• Tagalog: wumahu

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 phrases hoot mon or hoots mon.