Word of the Day

: February 14, 2009

spoony

adjective SPOO-nee

What It Means

1 : silly, foolish; especially : unduly sentimental

2 : being sentimentally in love

spoony in Context

It was Valentine's Day and spoony couples were enjoying romantic candlelit dinners at the city's many fine restaurants.

Did You Know?

In 19th-century British slang, "spoon" meant "simpleton" (a meaning that may have been influenced by the "shallowness" of some spoons). That use of "spoon" brought about the adjective "spoony" to describe a silly or foolish person. In time, the foolish manner implied by "spoony" began to take on sentimental and amorous overtones, and it soon became the perfect word for those foolishly head over heels in love. Another "spoon" is a verb referring to love-making or necking. That use of "spoon" may stem from a Welsh custom in which an engaged man presented his fiancé with an elaborately carved wooden spoon.