Hyphenation
cuck·oldPronunciation
Etymology
[ 'k&-k&ld, -(")kOld ] (noun.) 13th century. Derived from Old French cucuault (from cucu, the Cuckoo bird, some varieties of which lay their eggs in another’s nest). Appears in Middle English in noun form circa 1250 as cokewald. First known use of the verb form is 1589.