cloud-cuckoo-land

/klaʊdˈkʊkuːlænd//klaʊdˈkukulænd/

noun

An imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.

Similar
never-never land
OriginAncient Greek Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkugía) ← English land ← Middle English lond →
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Meanings

nouncloud-cuckoo-land (uncountable)

alternative cloud cuckoo land · alternative cloudcuckooland · alternative cloud cuckoo-land

  1. uncountableAn imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.

    That glabrous dome that lifts itself so grand, / There in the marish, is the omphalos, / The navel, umbo, middle, central boss / Of the unique, sole, true Cloud-Cuckoo Land.

    1916, Aldous Huxley, “The Walk”, in The Burning Wheel

    Synonyms: never-never land

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.

Similar
never-never land

Origin

  1. Englishcloud
  2. Middle Englishcokkou
  3. Hokkien咕咕鳥 /咕咕鸟 (ku-kú-chiáu)psm.
  4. Englishcuckoo
  5. Proto-Indo-European*lendʰ-
  6. Proto-Germanic*landą
  7. Proto-West Germanic*land
  8. Old Englishland
  9. Middle Englishlond
  10. Englishland
  11. Ancient GreekΝεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkugía)
  12. Englishcloud-cuckoo-land

By surface analysis, cloud + cuckoo + land. Calque of Ancient Greek Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkugía), from Aristophanes.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Νεφελοκοκκυγία
  • Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkugía)imaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Czech Mrakoptakohrad (Aristophanes, transl. Jiří Žáček 1986), Kocourkov
  • Mrakoptakohrad (Aristophanes, transl. Jiří Žáček 1986)imaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
  • Kocourkovimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Finnish Pilvikukkula (Aristophanes, transl. Kaarlo Hirvonen 1972), Hölmölä
  • Pilvikukkula (Aristophanes, transl. Kaarlo Hirvonen 1972)imaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
  • Hölmöläimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
French Coucouville-les-Nuées
  • Coucouville-les-Nuéesimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
German Wolkenkuckucksheim, Schilda
  • Wolkenkuckucksheimimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
  • Schildaimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Greek Νεφελοκοκκυγία
  • Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nefelokokkygía)imaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Latin Abdēra n pl and
  • Abdēra n pl andimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Polish Chmurny Kukułczyn
  • Chmurny Kukułczynimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Portuguese Cucolândia das Nuvens
  • Cucolândia das Nuvensimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Russian страна́ э́льфов, ска́зочная страна́
  • страна́ э́льфов (straná élʹfov)imaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
  • ска́зочная страна́ (skázočnaja straná)imaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
  • мир грёз (mir grjoz)imaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Slovak Kocúrkovo
  • Kocúrkovoimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Spanish estar en los cielos
  • estar en los cielosimaginary place with unrealistic or silly people
Cite this entry
APA

cloud-cuckoo-land. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloud-cuckoo-land

MLA

“cloud-cuckoo-land.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloud-cuckoo-land. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cloud-cuckoo-land,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cloud-cuckoo-land.

Source: cloud-cuckoo-land on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.