loon
Wailing lake bird
A loon is a large diving bird with a haunting, wailing call, found on northern lakes.
The word also means a crazy or foolish person—likely from a different source than the bird, though the bird's eerie cry reinforces the association: He's a complete loon.
As a verb, loony (adjective) and loon around (British, to behave foolishly) derive from this sense.
Disturbingly unforgettable
- tremoloRapid tonal wavering
- wailProlonged mournful cry
- yodelSinging with pitch breaks
- echoReflected sound wave
mournful · plaintive · cry · vocalization · resonate · eerie · nocturnal · melancholy
Swimming birds collectively
- plumageBird's complete feather coat
- feathersBird's lightweight covering
- beakHorny avian mouthpart
- nestingMaking a dwelling
breeding · habitat · migration · flyway · aquatic · diving bird · red eye · webbed feet
Deranged or irrational person
- crazyMentally unhinged
- eccentricUnconventional in character
- madmanDangerously unstable person
- oddballEccentric individual
crackpot · nutcase · kook · weirdo · daft · unhinged · deranged · batty
Non-saline aquatic environment
- shorelineLand-water boundary
- northernToward the top
- boatingWatercraft recreation
- kayakEnclosed single-person watercraft
canoe · reflection · ripples · Minnesota · boundary waters · Adirondack · Canadian · remote
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- isolationComplete separation from others
- remoteDistant or controller
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- tranquilityUndisturbed peacefulness
serenity · silence · peacefulness · contemplation · introspection · pristine · untouched · quietude
haunting
Disturbingly unforgettable
echo · mournful · plaintive · cry · vocalization · resonate · eerie · nocturnal · melancholy · sonorous
waterfowl
Swimming birds collectively
nesting · breeding · habitat · migration · flyway · aquatic · diving bird · red eye · webbed feet · ornithology
lunatic
Deranged or irrational person
oddball · crackpot · nutcase · kook · weirdo · daft · unhinged · deranged · batty · touched
freshwater
Non-saline aquatic environment
kayak · canoe · reflection · ripples · Minnesota · boundary waters · Adirondack · Canadian · remote · quiet
wilderness
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- isolationComplete separation from others
- remoteDistant or controller
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
tranquility · serenity · silence · peacefulness · contemplation · introspection · pristine · untouched · quietude · solitary
- CanadianaCanadian, Canadian flag, maple syrup, maple leaf, beaver
- New England Naturewhite pine, sugar maple, white birch, cranberry bog, salt marsh
- birdsrobin, crow, eagle, owl, duck
- AlaskaFairbanks, Juneau, Denali, Sitka, Kodiak
- Canadamaple leaf, maple syrup, hockey, beaver, Ottawa
- bird wordsrobin, eagle, swan, sparrow, crow
loonsound mind
Mental clarity and stability
straight arrow · conformist · square · bore
- loony binsSlang for mental hospitals
- loony toonSlang for crazy person
- loony tuneCrazy or irrational person
- loon callAquatic bird's vocalization
- common loonBlack-and-white diving waterbird
- loon cryAquatic bird's vocalization