Gull

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡʌl/

Definitions

1. A coastal bird characterized by its loud calls and adaptability paired with the act of misleading someone, as well as a reference to an individual prone to being deceived
2. This avian species inhabits shorelines and is recognized for its vocalizations, while also indicating a fraudulent action and highlighting a person susceptible to manipulation
3. A bird commonly seen near the sea known for noisy calls ; to cheat or manipulate someone by giving false information ; an individual who is readily taken advantage of by deception

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "gull" is that its best-supported origin is a seabird. Middle English "gulle" came from a Brythonic language, the ancestor of Breton, Welsh and Cornish, where the word for a seagull is cognate with the Welsh "gwylan" and the Cornish "golan." Those words trace back to a Proto-Celtic term for the bird, and French "goéland," the seagull, was later borrowed from Breton. English used "gull" for the bird for centuries, and it eventually displaced older words like "mew" and the Latin-derived "lare." The verb sense, to deceive or trick someone, is a different word, and its origin is less certain. One possibility links it to an obsolete verb "gull" meaning to swallow or guzzle, from Middle English "golen," to gape, which in turn came from "gole," meaning throat. The idea is that a gull was someone easily swallowed whole, or a gullible person who would take anything in. The noun for a dupe, one who is tricked, is probably tied to this verb rather than to the bird.

Synonyms: deceive, trick, fool, dupe, mislead

Antonyms: enlighten, inform, reveal, clarify, assist