goon

== English == === Etymology 1 === Shortened from gooney, from obsolete gony (“simpleton”), used circa 1580, of unknown origin. Perhaps a familiar term derived from Middle English gone, a variant of gome (“man, person”). Gony was applied by sailors to the albatross and similar big, clumsy birds (circa 1839). The term goon first carried the meaning "stupid person" (circa 1921). Compare Scots goni, guni (“a bogey, bugbear, hobgoblin”), dialectal Swedish gonnar (“elves, goblins”, plural). Etymology 1, noun sense 1 ("hired thug"; circa 1938) is largely influenced by the comic strip character Alice the Goon from the Popeye series. Etymology 1, noun sense 3 ("fool") was reinforced by the popular radio program, The Goon Show, starring Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers. Etymology 1, noun sense 5 ("guard") was influenced by both etymology 1, noun sense 1 and etymology 1, noun sense 3, though not by The Goon Show reference, which arose about 10 years after WWII. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈɡuːn/ Rhymes: -uːn ==== Noun ==== goon (countable and uncountable, plural goons) A thug; a usually muscular henchman with little intelligence. (US, informal) A hired and paid person who is assigned to terrorize and kill opponents. A fool; someone who is silly, stupid, awkward, or outlandish. (ice hockey, derogatory) An enforcer or fighter. (UK, World War II, PoW slang) A German guard in a prisoner-of-war camp. (slang) One hired to legally kidnap a child and forcibly transport them to a boot camp, boarding school, wilderness therapy, or a similar rehabilitation facility. (Australia, colloquial, uncountable) Box wine. (Internet slang) A member of the comedy website Something Awful. Alternative form: Goon ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== → Portuguese: guna ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== goon (third-person singular simple present goons, present participle gooning, simple past and past participle gooned) (transitive, slang, ice hockey) To act like a goon; to act in an intimidating or aggressive way towards opponents. (neologism) To legally kidnap a child and forcibly transport them to a boot camp, boarding school, wilderness therapy, or a similar rehabilitation facility. ===== Derived terms ===== === Etymology 2 === Possibly derived from etymology 1, from etymology 1, noun sense 3 ("a fool; a stupid person"), or from etymology 1, noun sense 1 ("a thug"). ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈɡuːn/ Rhymes: -uːn ==== Verb ==== goon (third-person singular simple present goons, present participle gooning, simple past and past participle gooned) (intransitive, Internet slang) (strictly) To masturbate for long periods of time without reaching a climax. Near-synonym: edge (loosely, by extension) To masturbate (in general). Synonyms: fap; see also Thesaurus:masturbate ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== → German: goonen ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 3 === Perhaps diminutive slang for flagon or from Aboriginal English goom. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈɡuːn/ Rhymes: -uːn ==== Noun ==== goon (countable and uncountable, plural goons) (Australia, informal) (countable) A wine flagon or cask. (uncountable) Cheap or inferior cask wine. === Etymology 4 === Borrowed from Japanese 呉音 (goon). ==== Alternative forms ==== go'on, go-on ==== Pronunciation ==== (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɡəʊˌɒn/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈɡoʊˌɑn/ Rhymes: -əʊɒn Hyphenation: go‧on Homophone: go on ==== Noun ==== goon (uncountable) A Sino-Japanese kanji pronunciation layer, considered the first Sino-Japanese kanji reading type used in Japan. === Anagrams === gono-, no go, no-go, nogo, noog, ongo, go on == Cornish == === Etymology === From Middle Cornish goen, gon, goon, from Old Cornish gweun, from Proto-Celtic *wāgnā (“slope, hollow, depression”). Cognate with Irish fána (“slope”) and Welsh gwaun. === Noun === goon f (plural gonyow) moor, moorland Synonyms: ros, hal down === Mutation === == Eastern Ojibwa == === Noun === goon anim snow === References === Jerry Randolph Valentine (2001), Nishnaabemwin Reference Grammar, University of Toronto, page 117 == Esperanto == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɡoon/ Rhymes: -oon Syllabification: go‧on === Noun === goon accusative singular of goo == German == === Verb === goon singular imperative of goonen == Japanese == === Romanization === goon Rōmaji transcription of ごおん == Middle English == === Verb === goon alternative form of gon (“to go”) == Ojibwe == === Noun === goon anim (obviative goonan, diminutive goonens, locative gooning, distributive locative goonikaang) snow ==== Derived terms ==== goonikaa ==== Related terms ==== -aagon- ==== See also ==== zoogipon === References === Nora Livesay and John D. Nichols, editors (2012-2021), “goon”, in Ojibwe People's Dictionary‎[13], University of Minnesota == Ottawa == === Noun === goon anim snow === References === Jerry Randolph Valentine (2001), Nishnaabemwin Reference Grammar, University of Toronto, page 117