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View synonyms for

Hun

[huhn]

noun

  1. a member of a nomadic and warlike Asian people who devastated or controlled large parts of eastern and central Europe and who exercised their greatest power under Attila in the 5th century a.d.

  2. (often lowercase)a barbarous, destructive person; vandal.

  3. Older Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.a contemptuous term used to refer to a German, especially a German soldier in World War I or II.



Hun

/ ʌ /

noun

  1. a member of any of several Asiatic nomadic peoples speaking Mongoloid or Turkic languages who dominated much of Asia and E Europe from before 300 bc , invading the Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuries a.d

  2. informal(esp in World War I) a derogatory name for a German

  3. informala vandal

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Sensitive Note

The disparaging and offensive use of this term likens the Germans to the barbarous and warlike Huns of the 4th and 5th centuries. The source of the comparison was a speech by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1900, encouraging German soldiers bound for China to act toward the Chinese just like “the Huns a thousand years ago.”
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Other Word Forms

  • Hunlike adjective
  • ˈܲˌ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Hun1

before 900; 1895–1900 Hun for def. 3; singular of Huns, Old English ūԲ; cognate with Old Norse ūԲ; akin to Late Latin ܲԲī
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Hun1

Old English ūԲ, from Late Latin ūī, from Turkish ܲ-ū
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

According to legend, the miraculous apparition of Saints Peter and Paul during the meeting between Pope Leo I and Attila the king of the Huns in 452 AD made the latter desist from invading Italy.

From

Inspired by a listener texting in, Greg floated the idea of a UK equivalent called Air Force Hun with British billionaire Sir Richard, using his company Virgin Galactic.

From

The government of Hun Manet has proved just as authoritarian as that of his father Hun Sen, whom he succeeded two years ago, but it is vulnerable.

From

In each of those “limitations on freedom of speech were,” Hun observes, “in effect, limitations on the right of the people to govern themselves.”

From

RFA has often reported on the crackdown on human rights in Cambodia, whose former authoritarian ruler Hun Sen has hailed the cuts as a "big contribution to eliminating fake news".

From

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When To Use

else does hun mean?

Hun can be a term of endearment, a phonetic spelling from a shortening of honey. It's also used as a derogatory slang term for women involved in multi-level marketing.

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