loon

Common loon with chick

Meaning

An idler, a lout.
A boy, a lad.
A harlot; mistress.
A simpleton.
A crazy or deranged person.
An English soldier of an expeditionary army in Ireland.
Any of various birds, of the order Gaviiformes, of North America and Europe that dive for fish and have a short tail, webbed feet and a yodeling cry.

From Middle English louen, lowen, probably of Middle Dutch or Middle Low German origin. Compare Dutch loen. Or, related to sense 2, due to the bird's loud cry. Folk etymology associates it slang-wise with lunatic, though the latter may have influenced it; see loony.
Image:Common Loon with chick.jpg|thumb|right|Common loon with chick
Of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse lómr ("loon"), ultimately imitative of the bird's cry, particularly when it's in danger. Distantly related to lament, probably sharing Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (expressive root).

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