huns
huns Lexical Profile
huns Game Scores & Validity
• noun
(usually capitalized as 'Huns') Members of a nomadic pastoralist people originating in Central Asia who invaded southeastern and central Europe in the 4th and 5th centuries AD, most famously under the leadership of Attila.
"Historians have long studied how the rapid westward migration of the Huns contributed to the decline of the Western Roman Empire."
(informal, plural of 'hun') Sweethearts, darlings, or dear friends; used as a casual, affectionate term of address, or in internet slang to refer to women who promote multi-level marketing products on social media.
"She greeted her group of friends with a cheerful wave, asking how her favorite huns were doing."
(figurative, often capitalized) Ruthless, destructive, or uncultured people who willfully vandalize or destroy property and cultural heritage.
"The local preservation society condemned the vandals as modern-day huns after the historic monument was defaced."
Word Nuance & Usage
When capitalized ('Huns'), the word refers to the historical nomadic people of Eurasia or, in dated wartime slang, serves as a derogatory term for Germans. In lowercase ('huns'), it is an informal clipping of 'honeys' used affectionately among friends or ironically for participants in multi-level marketing schemes.
• Rhymes for huns
Word Origin & Etymology
The historical name derives from Old English 'Hune' and Late Latin 'Hunni', reflecting the name of the nomadic steppe confederation. The informal term of endearment is a modern colloquial shortening of 'honey' with the plural suffix '-s'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.