coon
coon Lexical Profile
coon Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American An informal shortened term for the raccoon (Procyon lotor), a medium-sized nocturnal mammal native to North America, characterized by a bushy ringed tail and a black mask-like facial pattern.
"The farmer set up a secure latch on the feed bin to keep a clever coon from opening it at night."
(ethnic slur, offensive) A disparaging and offensive term used to refer to a Black person or, in Australia, an Indigenous Australian.
"Historical scholars analyzing nineteenth-century minstrelsy have documented how derogatory terms like coon were used to perpetuate racial caricatures."
American (archaic or dialectal) A rustic, shrewd, or undignified fellow.
"In nineteenth-century frontier folklore, the narrator often described himself as a wily old coon who could outsmart anyone in the county."
• verb
American To hunt for raccoons, typically at night using trained hounds.
"Generations of rural woodsmen cooned along the wooded riverbanks during the autumn months."
American To creep or crawl slowly on all fours, especially along a fallen log or narrow branch in the manner of a raccoon.
"The hiker carefully cooned across the slick fallen tree trunk to get over the swollen creek."
Word Nuance & Usage
While used informally in rural North America as a neutral shortening of 'raccoon' (especially in compound terms like 'coonhound' or 'coonskin'), this word is also a deeply offensive racial slur against Black people and a derogatory term in Australia for Indigenous Australians; speakers should use the full word 'raccoon' to avoid unintended offense.
• Rhymes for coon
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the mid-18th century as an aphetic shortening of 'raccoon', which itself derives from the Powhatan (Algonquian) word 'arahkunem', meaning 'he scratches with his hands'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.