Home › Glossary › Letter C

cuccu

Birds
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An older or dialect spelling of “cuckoo,” the bird noted for its distinctive call and frequent symbolic use in spring poetry.

Detailed Definition
"Cuccu" is the medieval spelling of the cuckoo bird's name. The poem repeats it as a bird call, and the old spelling makes it look unfamiliar even though it refers to a well-known bird.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Lhude sing cuccu” from the Middle English “Sumer is icumen in” celebrates the cuckoo’s call; Cuccu is an early spelling of cuckoo, preserving the bird’s repeated cry; “Sing cuccu, nu” makes birdsong part of the poem’s refrain and seasonal music; The medieval lyric links the cuckoo with spring, blooming meadows, and communal song
Additional Notes
The spelling "cuccu" is unusual and archaic, so readers may not immediately recognize it as "cuckoo."; Found in the poem, Sumer is icumen in by W. de Wycombe
Also Known As
cuckoo bird songbird harbinger
Skip to main content