cuckold
cuckold Lexical Profile
cuckold Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A man whose wife is sexually unfaithful, often regarded as an object of derision.
"In many Renaissance comedies, the jealous older husband is portrayed as a foolish cuckold."
• verb
To make a cuckold of a married man by being sexually unfaithful to him or by having an affair with his wife.
"Throughout the play, Othello is tormented by the false belief that his wife has cuckolded him."
Word Nuance & Usage
Traditionally used in literature and drama to describe the husband of an unfaithful wife, the term carries strong derogatory connotations and is the root of the modern internet slang insult 'cuck'.
• Rhymes for cuckold
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English cokewold, borrowed from Old French cucuault, derived from cocu ('cuckoo') with the pejorative suffix -aud, alluding to the female cuckoo's habit of laying its eggs in another bird's nest.