Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pillock

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English

Syllables: pil-lock
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A stupid or annoying person; a simpleton; a fool.

British usage; Derogatory; Slang

Example Sentences

"What is it now, you great pillock?"
"Take your Typhoon up there and swat the annoying mosquito out of the sky by challenging the infantile pillock to a classic World-War-II-era dogfight like a real man, to show them who the real king of European airspace is."

Etymology

In the middle of the 16th century, the meaning was "penis". Probably from pillicock (“penis; boy, man”), presumably akin to the slang term dickhead (“inept fool”). Alternatively, from the same basis as pillicock (compare regional Norwegian pill (“penis”)) + the diminutive suffix -ock.

Usage

Inflected Forms

pillocks (plural)

Derived Forms

pillocky

Synonyms

wazzock plonker stupid stupid person stupe dullard dolt pudding head pudden-head poor fish

Questions

What does pillock mean?: A stupid or annoying person; a simpleton; a fool.
Where does pillock come from?: In the middle of the 16th century, the meaning was "penis". Probably from pillicock (“penis; boy, man”), presumably akin to the slang term dickhead (“inept fool”). Alternatively, from the same basis as pillicock (compare regional Norwegian pill (“penis”)) + the diminutive suffix -ock.

How to pronounce pillock

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