hoon

hoon · noun, verb¹

Uncertain; used initially as a general term of abuse. It first appeared in print in Capricornia (1938) by Australian writer Xavier Herbert (1901–1984); in a 1941 letter Herbert stated he had heard the term in his youth.

hoon · verb²

Unknown; perhaps imitative.

hoon · noun³

1. Hokkien · borrowed from分
2. English todayhoon

Borrowed from Hokkien 分 (hun). Doublet of fen and fan.

hoon · noun⁴

1. Sanskrit · derived fromहून“a kind of gold coin from a particular kingdom”
2. Hindi · borrowed fromहून“pagoda, a gold coin of Southern India”
3. English todayhoon

Borrowed from Hindi हून (hūn, “pagoda, a gold coin of Southern India”), from Sanskrit हून (hūna, “a kind of gold coin from a particular kingdom”).

Hoon · proper noun⁵

1. Old Dutch · derived from*honi“despicable”
2. Middle Dutch · derived fromhoon“dangerous”
3. English todayHoon

From the Dutch surname de Hoon, from Middle Dutch hoon (“dangerous”), from Old Dutch *honi (“despicable”).

First known use, by meaning

• From 1930s. A worthless person; a hooligan or lout.
• From 1950s. A pimp.
• From 1980s. A person who drives excessively quickly, loudly or irresponsibly; a street drag racer often driving heavily customized cars.
• From 1980s. An attempt or go at something.