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.
-
aboon, a dialect word for "above";
-
actinozoon, a member of the biological class Actinozoa;
-
afternoon, the period between noon and evening;
-
aizoon, a biological genus that includes the house leek;
-
alsoon, "as soon";
-
anderoon, a harem; also spelled "anderun";
-
antenoon, before noon;
-
anthozoon, a member of the biological class of Anthozoa,
which includes the sea anemone;
-
antimonsoon, a pattern of wind found above an active
monsoon, moving in the opposite direction;
-
antisaloon, a movement aimed at shutting down public
drinking establishments;
-
Antoon, a first name;
-
archbuffoon, the lead comic performer in a pre-Lenten parade;
-
aroon, a term of affection, meaning "darling";
-
aswoon, dizzy with emotion;
-
baboon, a family of large monkeys which live in a
variety of habitats including savannas and tropical forests;
-
ballatoon: a heavy boat used to transport lumber in Russia;
-
balloon, an inflatable object, often of cloth, rubber, or
plastic, used to contain a gas or fluid;
-
bargoon, a bargain, a Canadian slang term;
-
barracoon, a temporary barracks for slaves or criminals;
-
barspoon, a long-handled spoon used for mixing drinks;
-
bashtoon, a bastard;
-
bassoon, a double-reeded woodwind orchestral instrument;
-
batoon, a baton;
-
bemoon, to moan; to bewail;
-
bigaroon, a variety of cherry;
-
blateroon, a blow-hard;
-
blatteroon, a blow-hard;
-
boon, a favor;
-
bosthoon, an impolite or discourteous fellow;
-
bostoon, an impolite or discourteous fellow;
-
bradoon, a kind of bit used with horses;
-
bridoon, a type of snaffle bit used in a double bridle;
-
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".
-
broon, a variant spelling of "brown";
-
bryozoon, a small animal that lives in compound colonies;
-
buffoon, a fool or object of fun, ultimately from the Latin
"buffare", to puff out the cheeks;
-
Burgoon, a village in Ohio;
-
cacoon, the large bean of a tropical vine;
-
Calhoon, a common surname;
-
Callicoon, a town in New York;
-
calycozoon, a member of the Calycozoa biological family;
-
Cameroon, a country in central Africa;
-
cantoon, a cloth that is a variety of fustian, and is often
used for men's riding and sporting suits;
-
carcoon, a clerk;
-
cardoon, the artichoke thistle;
-
caroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown,
worth 5 shillings;
-
carroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown,
worth 5 shillings;
-
cartoon, a simple drawing or sketch;
-
cassoon, a deep coffer in a ceiling;
-
cataloon, fabric from Catalonia;
-
ceroon, a package covered by hide;
-
chemiloon, a garment that combines chemise and drawers;
-
chuncoon, a local official of the Manchu dynasty;
-
cimaroon, a slave who escaped from the Spanish conquistadors;
-
cocoon, a protective covering created by an insect preparatory
to a period of hibernation or moulting;
-
contrabassoon, a larger version of the bassoon;
-
coon, a raccoon;
-
coprozoon, a protozoan that lives in feces;
-
coquetoon, an antelope found in west Africa;
-
crampoon, a variant form of "crampon", an attachment to
the shoe for gripping ice;
-
croon, to sing sentimentally, in a soft voice;
-
cushoon, a term used in Tippu Sultan's army for a regiment
or brigade;
-
cytozoon, a parasite living within a cell;
-
dahoon, an evergreen shrub;
-
decatoon: a "ducaton", a silver coin first minted in Italy,
and then in Burgundy and the Netherlands;
-
Demophoon, (also Demophon), a Greek of ancient times,
whom the goddess Demeter attempted to immortalize;
-
dermatozoon, a parasite that inhabits the skin of its host;
-
dessertspoon, a spoon with an oval, rather than a round bowl,
designed for eating desserts;
-
devoon, 1940's slang for 'divine';
-
dhoon, any of the many valleys in northern India that
extend from the Himalayas;
-
dioon, a genus of cycads;
-
diplozoon, a kind of flatworm;
-
Disheroon, a family name;
-
doon, a tree native to Sri Lanka; a valley in India;
Drumadoon Hill Fort in Scotland
-
doubloon, a gold coin of Spain;
-
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;
-
Drumadoon, a town in Scotland, home of "The Doon";
-
ducatoon: a "ducaton", a silver coin first minted in Italy,
and then in Burgundy and the Netherlands;
-
Dunoon, a town in Scotland;
-
ectozoon, a parasite that lives outside its host;
-
eftsoon, an old way of saying "soon after";
-
enterozoon, an intestinal parasite;
-
entozoon, an intestinal parasite;
-
eozoon, the name given to various mineralized objects
that were mistaken for fossilized remains of an early creature;
-
epiploon, the greater omentum, a fold of peritoneum that hangs
down from the stomach.
-
epizoon, a parasite that resides on the surface or skin of
its host;
-
espantoon, a half-pike;
-
espontoon, a half-pike;
-
exomoon, an extra-solar moon;
-
festoon, a garland of flowers;
-
flocoon, the filamentous waxy secretion of certain plant lice;
-
floroon, a flowery border;
-
forenoon, the late morning;
-
frigatoon, a Venetian square-sterned vessel;
-
Gaboon, an obsolete form of the name of Gabon, a
country in Africa;
-
gaboon, a dark mahogany wood;
-
gadroon, (also godroon), an elaborately carved convex
molding, often with beveled edges;
-
galloon, an ornamental braid or strip of cloth, often
including metallic thread, and used especially in uniforms;
-
gambroon, linen cloth that has been twilled;
-
ganoon, qanun, a stringed instrument of the Middle East;
-
godroon, (also gadroon), an elaborately carved
convex molding;
-
gombroon, linen cloth that has been twilled;
-
goon, a thug; a grotesquely shaped person;
-
gorsoon, a young boy, a playful variation on "garcon";
-
gossoon, a young boy, a playful variation on "garcon";
-
granfalloon, a nonce word invented by Kurt Vonnegut in
"Cat's Cradle", denoting a proud but meaningless association of
people;
-
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;
-
gunloon, a person obsessed with guns;
-
haemtozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
-
halfmoon, the first and last quarter phases of the moon;
-
harpoon, a hooked spear used in fishing;
-
hemacytozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
-
hematocytozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
-
hematozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
-
hemocytozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
-
hemozoon, a protozoan blood parasite;
-
hepatozoon, a liver parasite;
-
heroon, a mausoleum for heroes;
-
hexadecaroon, a person with one sixteenth African ancestry;
-
honeymoon, a short celebratory trip or vacation taken by a newly
married couple;
-
hookaroon, a tool used in woodcutting, a long pole with
a hook at the end;
-
hoon, in Australia, a style of reckless driving intended
to impress an audience;
-
Hoosieroons, the former name of the Ball State athletic
teams, now known as the Cardinals;
-
huccatoon, a kind of cotton cloth;
-
hydrozoon, one of the class Hydrozoa, of very small
predatory creatures living in salt water;
-
hyperoon, referring to the upper story of a building;
-
hypersoon, extremely soon;
-
jargoon, a variety of zircon;
-
joon, a personal name;
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Kaiserkroon, a variety of tulip;
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Kalkoon, a town in Guyana;
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kanoon, a qanun, a stringed instrument, like a dulcimer,
of the Middle East;
-
khahoon, a measure of grain equal to 40 maunds;
-
Khaldoon, a first name;
-
kokoon, the brindled gnu, or blue wildebeest;
-
koshoon, a term used in Tippu Sultan's army for a regiment
or brigade;
-
Kowloon, an area in Hong Kong, once a separate walled city;
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kroon, the currency of Estonia until replaced by the euro;
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kytoon, a kite-balloon, a tethered aircraft;
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lagoon, a shallow bay or pool connected to the ocean;
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lampoon, to mock or make ridiculous;
-
langoon, a French white wine;
-
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;
-
lardoon, (also lardon), a piece of bacon used to
lard meat;
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leucocytozoon, a protozoan blood-borne parasite;
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loon, a large water bird that dives for fish;
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macaroon, a cookie or small cake made with almonds and coconut;
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madjoon, a medicinal preparation of various aromatic spices,
herbs, and precious substances; opium;
-
madzoon, (also matsun, matzoon), an Armenian
food similar to yogurt;
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majoon, an Arabic confection made with cannabis;
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maroon, a brownish red color; a runaway African slave; to
abandon on an island;
-
marsoon, the white whale;
-
matsoon, an Armenian food similar to yogurt;
-
matzoon, (also madzoon, matsoon, matsun),
an Armenian food similar to yogurt;
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melocotoon, a melocoton: a peach grafted on a quince rootstock;
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metazoon, a member of the biological class Metazoa;
-
microzoon, a microscopic animal;
-
midafternoon, the middle of the period between noon and
evening;
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midforenoon, time somewhere in the middle of the morning;
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midnoon, in the middle of noontime;
-
monsoon, a seasonal wind in southeast Asia, and the very
rainy weather that is associated with it;
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moon, earth's satellite, or any satellite of a planet;
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Muldoon, a common English surname;
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musketoon, a version of the musket with a shorter barrel;
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musquetoon, a version of the musket with a shorter barrel;
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mycetozoon, a slime mold;
-
noon, midday, the time when the sun is directly overhead;
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octaroon, a mixed race person with one eighth African descent;
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octoon, part of an insect
-
octoroon, a mixed race person with one eighth African descent;
-
oon, an oven (British dialect)
-
oons, a mild oath, "God's wounds!'
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overfestoon, to excessively decorate.
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oversoon, too soon;
-
pameroon, a region of Guyana;
-
pantaloon, baggy trousers gathered at the ankles;
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Pantaloon, in old Italian comedy, the stock character of an
old man wearing baggy trousers;
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pantoon
-
pashtoon, a Pushto-speaking people;
-
patacoon, a term for the Spanish dollar, also known as
a pataca;
-
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;
-
Peeploon, a small village in Rajasthan;
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phytozoon, an animal with many of the attributed of a plant;
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picaroon, a scoundrel or rogue;
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pickaroon, a scoundrel or rogue;
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platoon: comes from the French "peleton" for "little ball" which
then began to be used for "small group of men";
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poltroon: a coward;
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polyzoon, a small animal that lives in compound colonies;
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pomeroon, a river in Guyana,
and a former Dutch colony near that river;
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Pompoon, an obsolete form of the word "pompom".
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Pompoon, a famous American thoroughbred horse.
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Pompoon, a steamship sunk by a U-boat in 1943.
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pontoon, a buoyancy tube, or a platform or vessel supported
by tubes.
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poon, an east Indian tree;
-
preafternoon, the period immediately before the afternoon, that
is, a little before noon;
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prenoon, occurring before noon;
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proballoon
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prostoon, in architecture, a portico, from "pro" and "stoa";
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protozoon, a group of primitive single celled organisms;
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pseudoepiploon, a membrane suggestive of the epiploon;
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puccoon, a wild American plant used for dyes;
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puftaloon, a fried scone;
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pukhtoon, a Pushto-speaking people;
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pulpatoon, a delicate cake made from fruit pulp;
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pultoon, an Indian regiment;
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puppetoon, a series of animated films made by George Pal using
stop-motion and wooden puppets; hence, a crudely animated figurine.
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pushtoon, a Pushto-speaking people;
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qanoon, qanun, a stringed instrument of the Middle East;
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quadroon, a mixed race person with one quarter African descent;
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quarteroon, a mixed race person with one quarter African descent;
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quinteroon, a mixed race person with one sixteenth African descent;
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quintroon, a mixed race person with one sixteenth African descent;
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raccoon, a scavenging woodlands creature of North America;
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racoon, a scavenging woodlands creature of North America;
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ramoon, a small tree of the mulberry family;
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Rangoon, the British name for the city of Yangon in Burma
aka Myanmar;
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rantoon,a four-wheel bicycle.
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ratoon, a fresh shoot emerging from the
base of a sugar cane stock after it has been cropped;
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rattoon, a fresh shoot emerging from the
base of a sugar cane stock after it has been cropped;
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recroon, to croon again;
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rigadoon, (also rigadon, rigaudon), a lively dance
popular in the French baroque period;
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rockoon, a solid fuel sounding rocket that is launched from
a balloon;
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roon, an obsolete word meaning "red"; a Scottish form of "round";
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rushoon, a town in Newfoundland;
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sacoon, a fencing term, the same as 'seconde';
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sacoon, a family name;
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saloon, a bar, or public room;
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saltspoon, a small spoon used to sprinkle salt on food;
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samoon, a violent, dusty desert wind storm;
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saprozoon, creatures that feed on putrefying matter;
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sashoon, a kind of boot pad;
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Saskatoon, the largest town in the Canadian province of
Saskatchewan;
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scandaroon, a fancy pigeon breed;
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schoon, an archaic version of "shoes".
-
scoon, to skip a flat stone across the surface of a stream;
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semiballoon, a dress style; a fishing trawl that opens
up as a half-spherical shape;
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seroon, a bale of indigo covered with hide;
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sevangoon, a residential area in northeast Singapore.
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shabbaroon, a ragamuffin;
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shabroon, a ragamuffin;
-
shabroon, a family name;
-
shagroon, a derogatory term from 19th Century Canterbury,
England from settlers who arrived from Australia (seems the
wrong direction for emigration!);
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shalloon, a lightweight woolen fabric;
-
shoon, an obsolete term for "shoes";
-
Siegfried Sassoon, an English soldier poet of the first
World War;
-
simoon, a violent, dusty desert wind storm;
-
sirpoon, an evergreen tree;
-
Skanderoon, Iskenderun, a Turkish port, once known as
Alexandretta.
-
skanderoon, a species of pigeon;
-
soon, in a short time;
-
soupspoon, a spoon with a deeper bowl for eating soup;
-
spadroon, a lightweight sword with a straight blade;
-
spantoon, a half-pike;
-
spermatozoon, the male sex cell;
-
spittoon, a pot for the convenience of spitters,
especially tobacco chewers;
-
spongiozoon, the sea creature known as the sponge;
-
spontoon: (also, espontoon), a "half-pike", a
medieval weapon;
-
spoon, a dining utensil ending in a shallow bowl shape,
which can used for eating liquids, or small items such as peas
and corn;
-
sporozoon, a parasitic protozoan that produces infective
spores;
-
stoon (also stound), a length of time, a while, a sharp pain;
-
swoon, to become faint, dizzy, or carried away with emotion;
-
taboon, or "tabun", a clay oven used in the Middle East;
-
tablespoon, a large spoon; a liquid measurement of
half an ounce;
-
tampoon, a stopper for a barrel;
-
tappoon, a sheet of wood or metal used to control flow
through an irrigation ditch;
-
Tatyoon, a town in Victoria, Canada;
-
teaspoon, a unit of volume measure equal to a third
of a tablespoon;
-
teleozoon, a metazoan;
-
tenoroon, the tenor bassoon;
-
terceroon, a person with one eight African ancestry;
-
testoon, an English silver coin, the predecessor of the shilling;
-
tetrastoon, a courtyard enclosed by four porticoes, from the
Greek "tetra" and "stoa";
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Cape Tiberoon, on the island of Hispaniola;
-
tierceroon, a person with one eight African ancestry;
-
toon, a slang form of "cartoon";
-
tosheroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown,
worth 5 shillings;
-
tosseroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown,
worth 5 shillings;
-
tritoon, a boat relying on three pontoons for flotation;
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trochozoon, an organism of the group Trochozoa;
-
Troon, a town in Scotland, and in Arizona;
-
tuffoon, an obsolete spelling of "typhoon";
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tusheroon, old English slang for the coin known as a crown,
worth 5 shillings;
-
tycoon, a wealthy, powerful person;
-
typhoon, a Pacific Ocean tropical cyclone;
-
van Loon, a family name;
-
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;
-
wackaloon, a crazy, deranged, or obsessed person;
-
Walloon, a member of the French-speaking region of Belgium;
-
Warrahoon, an Amerindian from the Orinoco delta;
-
webtoon, cartoons, manga, and animations, involving drawings
rather than photographs;
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Witherspoon, now a common surname, originally the name of
a village, meaning "a narrow strip (span) containing sheep (wether)";
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wolveboon, a small, poisonous African shrub;
-
woon, a governor in Burma;
-
Wyntoon, an estate in California owned by the Hearst family,
named for the local Wintun people;
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Yackatoon, an aboriginal Australian expression of joy;
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yesternoon, around noon, yesterday;
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Zamboon, a Zambian;
-
zimbaloon, (also zimbalon, cimbalon),
a dulcimer used by gypsies;
-
zoon, an individual forming a compound organism;
any animal that grows from a fertilized egg;
Last modified on 06 October 2022.