Skip to content

cocu

cuckold

noun ko-KU Rare

Origin: From coucou (cuckoo), which lays eggs in other birds' nests

Usage Note

Cocu refers to a man whose partner is unfaithful; it can also be used as an adjective (être cocu). The cuckoo bird gave rise to this term because of its habit of laying eggs in other nests — the same image appears in English 'cuckold'.

Examples

"Il a découvert qu'il était cocu."

Natural Translation

He discovered he had been cheated on.

Literal Translation

He discovered that he was a cuckold.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic