OONERISM
Words that go OON!


There's a small family of English words and names that end in -oon, including a subfamily of biological terms ending in -zoon. Although it's hard to assign them a common linguistic origin or etymology, they nonetheless seem to constitute an uncommonly colorful and garish subset of the language. If you were going to have a party, this is the set of words to invite!

I am sorely tempted to Croon a Tune to Oona or Mourn a Rune to Lorna Doone using only these words as rhymes.

  1. aboon, a dialect word for "above";
  2. actinozoon, a member of the biological class Actinozoa;
  3. afternoon, the period between noon and evening;
  4. aizoon, a biological genus that includes the house leek;
  5. alsoon, "as soon";
  6. anderoon, a harem; also spelled "anderun";
  7. antenoon, before noon;
  8. anthozoon, a member of the biological class of Anthozoa, which includes the sea anemone;
  9. antimonsoon, a pattern of wind found above an active monsoon, moving in the opposite direction;
  10. antisaloon, a movement aimed at shutting down public drinking establishments;
  11. Antoon, a first name;
  12. archbuffoon, the lead comic performer in a pre-Lenten parade;
  13. aroon, a term of affection, meaning "darling";
  14. aswoon, dizzy with emotion;
  15. baboon, a family of large monkeys which live in a variety of habitats including savannas and tropical forests;
  16. ballatoon: a heavy boat used to transport lumber in Russia;
  17. balloon, an inflatable object, often of cloth, rubber, or plastic, used to contain a gas or fluid;
  18. bargoon, a bargain, a Canadian slang term;
  19. barracoon, a temporary barracks for slaves or criminals;
  20. barspoon, a long-handled spoon used for mixing drinks;
  21. bashtoon, a bastard;
  22. bassoon, a double-reeded woodwind orchestral instrument;
  23. batoon, a baton;
  24. bemoon, to moan; to bewail;
  25. bigaroon, a variety of cherry;
  26. blateroon, a blow-hard;
  27. blatteroon, a blow-hard;
  28. boon, a favor;
  29. bosthoon, an impolite or discourteous fellow;
  30. bostoon, an impolite or discourteous fellow;
  31. bradoon, a kind of bit used with horses;
  32. bridoon, a type of snaffle bit used in a double bridle;
  33. Brigadoon: a musical play by Lerner and Loewe about a mythical Scottish village that appears one day every hundred years; the name is thought to be derived from the Scottish landmark, the "Brig o' Doon" or "Bridge of Doon".
  34. broon, a variant spelling of "brown";
  35. bryozoon, a small animal that lives in compound colonies;
  36. buffoon, a fool or object of fun, ultimately from the Latin "buffare", to puff out the cheeks;
  37. Burgoon, a village in Ohio;
  38. cacoon, the large bean of a tropical vine;
  39. Calhoon, a common surname;
  40. Callicoon, a town in New York;
  41. calycozoon, a member of the Calycozoa biological family;
  42. Cameroon, a country in central Africa;
  43. cantoon, a cloth that is a variety of fustian, and is often used for men's riding and sporting suits;
  44. carcoon, a clerk;
  45. cardoon, the artichoke thistle;
  46. caroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown, worth 5 shillings;
  47. carroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown, worth 5 shillings;
  48. cartoon, a simple drawing or sketch;
  49. cassoon, a deep coffer in a ceiling;
  50. cataloon, fabric from Catalonia;
  51. ceroon, a package covered by hide;
  52. chemiloon, a garment that combines chemise and drawers;
  53. chuncoon, a local official of the Manchu dynasty;
  54. cimaroon, a slave who escaped from the Spanish conquistadors;
  55. cocoon, a protective covering created by an insect preparatory to a period of hibernation or moulting;
  56. contrabassoon, a larger version of the bassoon;
  57. coon, a raccoon;
  58. coprozoon, a protozoan that lives in feces;
  59. coquetoon, an antelope found in west Africa;
  60. crampoon, a variant form of "crampon", an attachment to the shoe for gripping ice;
  61. croon, to sing sentimentally, in a soft voice;
  62. cushoon, a term used in Tippu Sultan's army for a regiment or brigade;
  63. cytozoon, a parasite living within a cell;
  64. dahoon, an evergreen shrub;
  65. decatoon: a "ducaton", a silver coin first minted in Italy, and then in Burgundy and the Netherlands;
  66. Demophoon, (also Demophon), a Greek of ancient times, whom the goddess Demeter attempted to immortalize;
  67. dermatozoon, a parasite that inhabits the skin of its host;
  68. dessertspoon, a spoon with an oval, rather than a round bowl, designed for eating desserts;
  69. devoon, 1940's slang for 'divine';
  70. dhoon, any of the many valleys in northern India that extend from the Himalayas;
  71. dioon, a genus of cycads;
  72. diplozoon, a kind of flatworm;
  73. Disheroon, a family name;
  74. doon, a tree native to Sri Lanka; a valley in India; Drumadoon Hill Fort in Scotland
  75. doubloon, a gold coin of Spain;
  76. dragoon: a light cavalryman. The name is thought to have arisen from the firearm carried by the first mounted infantry, called a "dragon" because of the image of a dragon's head on the barrel;
  77. Drumadoon, a town in Scotland, home of "The Doon";
  78. ducatoon: a "ducaton", a silver coin first minted in Italy, and then in Burgundy and the Netherlands;
  79. Dunoon, a town in Scotland;
  80. ectozoon, a parasite that lives outside its host;
  81. eftsoon, an old way of saying "soon after";
  82. enterozoon, an intestinal parasite;
  83. entozoon, an intestinal parasite;
  84. eozoon, the name given to various mineralized objects that were mistaken for fossilized remains of an early creature;
  85. epiploon, the greater omentum, a fold of peritoneum that hangs down from the stomach.
  86. epizoon, a parasite that resides on the surface or skin of its host;
  87. espantoon, a half-pike;
  88. espontoon, a half-pike;
  89. exomoon, an extra-solar moon;
  90. festoon, a garland of flowers;
  91. flocoon, the filamentous waxy secretion of certain plant lice;
  92. floroon, a flowery border;
  93. forenoon, the late morning;
  94. frigatoon, a Venetian square-sterned vessel;
  95. Gaboon, an obsolete form of the name of Gabon, a country in Africa;
  96. gaboon, a dark mahogany wood;
  97. gadroon, (also godroon), an elaborately carved convex molding, often with beveled edges;
  98. galloon, an ornamental braid or strip of cloth, often including metallic thread, and used especially in uniforms;
  99. gambroon, linen cloth that has been twilled;
  100. ganoon, qanun, a stringed instrument of the Middle East;
  101. godroon, (also gadroon), an elaborately carved convex molding;
  102. gombroon, linen cloth that has been twilled;
  103. goon, a thug; a grotesquely shaped person;
  104. gorsoon, a young boy, a playful variation on "garcon";
  105. gossoon, a young boy, a playful variation on "garcon";
  106. granfalloon, a nonce word invented by Kurt Vonnegut in "Cat's Cradle", denoting a proud but meaningless association of people;
  107. Grundoon, a minor cartoon character in Walt Kelly's "Pogo", who spoke only gibberish; now used to indicate people of low mentality or with little common sense;
  108. gunloon, a person obsessed with guns;
  109. haemtozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
  110. halfmoon, the first and last quarter phases of the moon;
  111. harpoon, a hooked spear used in fishing;
  112. hemacytozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
  113. hematocytozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
  114. hematozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
  115. hemocytozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
  116. hemozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
  117. hepatozoon, a liver parasite;
  118. heroon, a mausoleum for heroes;
  119. hexadecaroon, a person with one sixteenth African ancestry;
  120. honeymoon, a short celebratory trip or vacation taken by a newly married couple;
  121. hookaroon, a tool used in woodcutting, a long pole with a hook at the end;
  122. hoon, in Australia, a style of reckless driving intended to impress an audience;
  123. Hoosieroons, the former name of the Ball State athletic teams, now known as the Cardinals;
  124. huccatoon, a kind of cotton cloth;
  125. hydrozoon, one of the class Hydrozoa, of very small predatory creatures living in salt water;
  126. hyperoon, referring to the upper story of a building;
  127. hypersoon, extremely soon;
  128. jargoon, a variety of zircon;
  129. joon, a personal name;
  130. Kaiserkroon, a variety of tulip;
  131. Kalkoon, a town in Guyana;
  132. kanoon, a qanun, a stringed instrument, like a dulcimer, of the Middle East;
  133. khahoon, a measure of grain equal to 40 maunds;
  134. Khaldoon, a first name;
  135. kokoon, the brindled gnu, or blue wildebeest;
  136. koshoon, a term used in Tippu Sultan's army for a regiment or brigade;
  137. Kowloon, an area in Hong Kong, once a separate walled city;
  138. kroon, the currency of Estonia until replaced by the euro;
  139. kytoon, a kite-balloon, a tethered aircraft;
  140. lagoon, a shallow bay or pool connected to the ocean;
  141. lampoon, to mock or make ridiculous;
  142. langoon, a French white wine;
  143. Laocoon, a Trojan priest swallowed, along with this two sons, by a serpent sent by the gods, after warning the Trojans against accepting the wooden horse offered by the Greeks;
  144. lardoon, (also lardon), a piece of bacon used to lard meat;
  145. leucocytozoon, a protozoan blood-borne parasite;
  146. loon, a large water bird that dives for fish;
  147. macaroon, a cookie or small cake made with almonds and coconut;
  148. madjoon, a medicinal preparation of various aromatic spices, herbs, and precious substances; opium;
  149. madzoon, (also matsun, matzoon), an Armenian food similar to yogurt;
  150. majoon, an Arabic confection made with cannabis;
  151. maroon, a brownish red color; a runaway African slave; to abandon on an island;
  152. marsoon, the white whale;
  153. matsoon, an Armenian food similar to yogurt;
  154. matzoon, (also madzoon, matsoon, matsun), an Armenian food similar to yogurt;
  155. melocotoon, a melocoton: a peach grafted on a quince rootstock;
  156. metazoon, a member of the biological class Metazoa;
  157. microzoon, a microscopic animal;
  158. midafternoon, the middle of the period between noon and evening;
  159. midforenoon, time somewhere in the middle of the morning;
  160. midnoon, in the middle of noontime;
  161. monsoon, a seasonal wind in southeast Asia, and the very rainy weather that is associated with it;
  162. moon, earth's satellite, or any satellite of a planet;
  163. Muldoon, a common English surname;
  164. musketoon, a version of the musket with a shorter barrel;
  165. musquetoon, a version of the musket with a shorter barrel;
  166. mycetozoon, a slime mold;
  167. noon, midday, the time when the sun is directly overhead;
  168. octaroon, a mixed race person with one eighth African descent;
  169. octoon, part of an insect
  170. octoroon, a mixed race person with one eighth African descent;
  171. oon, an oven (British dialect)
  172. oons, a mild oath, "God's wounds!'
  173. overfestoon, to excessively decorate.
  174. oversoon, too soon;
  175. pameroon, a region of Guyana;
  176. pantaloon, baggy trousers gathered at the ankles;
  177. Pantaloon, in old Italian comedy, the stock character of an old man wearing baggy trousers;
  178. pantoon
  179. pashtoon, a Pushto-speaking people;
  180. patacoon, a term for the Spanish dollar, also known as a pataca;
  181. patroon, in the Dutch settlements of New York and New Jersey, a patroon was a holder of large tracts of land and certain accompanying rights;
  182. Peeploon, a small village in Rajasthan;
  183. phytozoon, an animal with many of the attributed of a plant;
  184. picaroon, a scoundrel or rogue;
  185. pickaroon, a scoundrel or rogue;
  186. platoon: comes from the French "peleton" for "little ball" which then began to be used for "small group of men";
  187. poltroon: a coward;
  188. polyzoon, a small animal that lives in compound colonies;
  189. pomeroon, a river in Guyana, and a former Dutch colony near that river;
  190. Pompoon, an obsolete form of the word "pompom".
  191. Pompoon, a famous American thoroughbred horse.
  192. Pompoon, a steamship sunk by a U-boat in 1943.
  193. pontoon, a buoyancy tube, or a platform or vessel supported by tubes.
  194. poon, an east Indian tree;
  195. preafternoon, the period immediately before the afternoon, that is, a little before noon;
  196. prenoon, occurring before noon;
  197. proballoon
  198. prostoon, in architecture, a portico, from "pro" and "stoa";
  199. protozoon, a group of primitive single celled organisms;
  200. pseudoepiploon, a membrane suggestive of the epiploon;
  201. puccoon, a wild American plant used for dyes;
  202. puftaloon, a fried scone;
  203. pukhtoon, a Pushto-speaking people;
  204. pulpatoon, a delicate cake made from fruit pulp;
  205. pultoon, an Indian regiment;
  206. puppetoon, a series of animated films made by George Pal using stop-motion and wooden puppets; hence, a crudely animated figurine.
  207. pushtoon, a Pushto-speaking people;
  208. qanoon, qanun, a stringed instrument of the Middle East;
  209. quadroon, a mixed race person with one quarter African descent;
  210. quarteroon, a mixed race person with one quarter African descent;
  211. quinteroon, a mixed race person with one sixteenth African descent;
  212. quintroon, a mixed race person with one sixteenth African descent;
  213. raccoon, a scavenging woodlands creature of North America;
  214. racoon, a scavenging woodlands creature of North America;
  215. ramoon, a small tree of the mulberry family;
  216. Rangoon, the British name for the city of Yangon in Burma aka Myanmar;
  217. rantoon,a four-wheel bicycle.
  218. ratoon, a fresh shoot emerging from the base of a sugar cane stock after it has been cropped;
  219. rattoon, a fresh shoot emerging from the base of a sugar cane stock after it has been cropped;
  220. recroon, to croon again;
  221. rigadoon, (also rigadon, rigaudon), a lively dance popular in the French baroque period;
  222. rockoon, a solid fuel sounding rocket that is launched from a balloon;
  223. roon, an obsolete word meaning "red"; a Scottish form of "round";
  224. rushoon, a town in Newfoundland;
  225. sacoon, a fencing term, the same as 'seconde';
  226. sacoon, a family name;
  227. saloon, a bar, or public room;
  228. saltspoon, a small spoon used to sprinkle salt on food;
  229. samoon, a violent, dusty desert wind storm;
  230. saprozoon, creatures that feed on putrefying matter;
  231. sashoon, a kind of boot pad;
  232. Saskatoon, the largest town in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan;
  233. scandaroon, a fancy pigeon breed;
  234. schoon, an archaic version of "shoes".
  235. scoon, to skip a flat stone across the surface of a stream;
  236. semiballoon, a dress style; a fishing trawl that opens up as a half-spherical shape;
  237. seroon, a bale of indigo covered with hide;
  238. sevangoon, a residential area in northeast Singapore.
  239. shabbaroon, a ragamuffin;
  240. shabroon, a ragamuffin;
  241. shabroon, a family name;
  242. shagroon, a derogatory term from 19th Century Canterbury, England from settlers who arrived from Australia (seems the wrong direction for emigration!);
  243. shalloon, a lightweight woolen fabric;
  244. shoon, an obsolete term for "shoes";
  245. Siegfried Sassoon, an English soldier poet of the first World War;
  246. simoon, a violent, dusty desert wind storm;
  247. sirpoon, an evergreen tree;
  248. Skanderoon, Iskenderun, a Turkish port, once known as Alexandretta.
  249. skanderoon, a species of pigeon;
  250. soon, in a short time;
  251. soupspoon, a spoon with a deeper bowl for eating soup;
  252. spadroon, a lightweight sword with a straight blade;
  253. spantoon, a half-pike;
  254. spermatozoon, the male sex cell;
  255. spittoon, a pot for the convenience of spitters, especially tobacco chewers;
  256. spongiozoon, the sea creature known as the sponge;
  257. spontoon: (also, espontoon), a "half-pike", a medieval weapon;
  258. spoon, a dining utensil ending in a shallow bowl shape, which can used for eating liquids, or small items such as peas and corn;
  259. sporozoon, a parasitic protozoan that produces infective spores;
  260. stoon (also stound), a length of time, a while, a sharp pain;
  261. swoon, to become faint, dizzy, or carried away with emotion;
  262. taboon, or "tabun", a clay oven used in the Middle East;
  263. tablespoon, a large spoon; a liquid measurement of half an ounce;
  264. tampoon, a stopper for a barrel;
  265. tappoon, a sheet of wood or metal used to control flow through an irrigation ditch;
  266. Tatyoon, a town in Victoria, Canada;
  267. teaspoon, a unit of volume measure equal to a third of a tablespoon;
  268. teleozoon, a metazoan;
  269. tenoroon, the tenor bassoon;
  270. terceroon, a person with one eight African ancestry;
  271. testoon, an English silver coin, the predecessor of the shilling;
  272. tetrastoon, a courtyard enclosed by four porticoes, from the Greek "tetra" and "stoa";
  273. Cape Tiberoon, on the island of Hispaniola;
  274. tierceroon, a person with one eight African ancestry;
  275. toon, a slang form of "cartoon";
  276. tosheroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown, worth 5 shillings;
  277. tosseroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown, worth 5 shillings;
  278. tritoon, a boat relying on three pontoons for flotation;
  279. trochozoon, an organism of the group Trochozoa;
  280. Troon, a town in Scotland, and in Arizona;
  281. tuffoon, an obsolete spelling of "typhoon";
  282. tusheroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown, worth 5 shillings;
  283. tycoon, a wealthy, powerful person;
  284. typhoon, a Pacific Ocean tropical cyclone;
  285. van Loon, a family name;
  286. vinegaroon: an insect related to spiders, sometimes called the "whip scorpion" because it has pincers and an arching tail. As a defense, it can spray a solution of acetic acid;
  287. wackaloon, a crazy, deranged, or obsessed person;
  288. Walloon, a member of the French-speaking region of Belgium;
  289. Warrahoon, an Amerindian from the Orinoco delta;
  290. webtoon, cartoons, manga, and animations, involving drawings rather than photographs;
  291. Witherspoon, now a common surname, originally the name of a village, meaning "a narrow strip (span) containing sheep (wether)";
  292. wolveboon, a small, poisonous African shrub;
  293. woon, a governor in Burma;
  294. Wyntoon, an estate in California owned by the Hearst family, named for the local Wintun people;
  295. Yackatoon, an aboriginal Australian expression of joy;
  296. yesternoon, around noon, yesterday;
  297. Zamboon, a Zambian;
  298. zimbaloon, (also zimbalon, cimbalon), a dulcimer used by gypsies;
  299. zoon, an individual forming a compound organism; any animal that grows from a fertilized egg;


Last modified on 06 October 2022.