mooncalf

[ moon-kaf, -kahf ]

noun

, plural moon·calves.

1. a congenitally grossly deformed and mentally defective person.
2. a foolish person.
3. a person who spends time idly daydreaming.

mooncalf

/ ˈmuːnˌkɑːf /

noun

1. a born fool; dolt
2. a person who idles time away
3. obsolete.
   a freak or monster

Word History and Origins

Origin of mooncalf¹

First recorded in 1555–65; moon + calf ¹

Example Sentences

The long-term effects of that mooncalf renaissance are impossible to gauge from here.

From Salon

Prince Bumpo, the heir to the throne, is a mooncalf who mistakes fairy tales for real life, speaks in Elizabethan periphrasis and murmurs to himself: “If only I were a white prince!”

From New York Times

“You’re a mooncalf,” she said.

From Literature

He stared off into space with a dumb mooncalf look on his face that made you want to slap him.

From Literature

Then there are those beasts that, due to cleverness or innate shyness, avoid contact with Muggles at all costs—for instance, the unicorn, the Mooncalf and the centaur.

From Literature