gudgeon.
A small freshwater fish of species Gobio gobio, native to Eurasia.
Meaning & usage
A small freshwater fish of species Gobio gobio, native to Eurasia.
Cottus bairdii, more widely known as mottled sculpin.
Any of various similar small fish of the family Eleotridae, often used as bait.
Any of various other fish, similar in appearance and principally in families Butidae and Eleotridae.
A person apt to take the bait; one easily cheated or duped; also, an idiot.
Something used to lure or tempt; bait, a lure.
Where this word comes from
The noun is derived from Late Middle English gojoun [and other forms], from Old French gojon, goujon (“gudgeon”), from Late Latin gōbiōnem, the accusative of gōbiō, the augmentative of Latin gōbius (“gudgeon”), from Ancient Greek κωβῐός (kōbĭós, “fish of the gudgeon kind”), probably of Semitic origin. The English word is a doublet of goby and goujon. The verb is derived from the noun.
To deprive (someone) fraudulently; to cheat, to dupe.
To take the bait; to be defrauded or duped.
Where this word comes from
The noun is derived from Late Middle English gojoun [and other forms], from Old French gojon, goujon (“gudgeon”), from Late Latin gōbiōnem, the accusative of gōbiō, the augmentative of Latin gōbius (“gudgeon”), from Ancient Greek κωβῐός (kōbĭós, “fish of the gudgeon kind”), probably of Semitic origin. The English word is a doublet of goby and goujon. The verb is derived from the noun.
A circular or cylindrical fitting, often made of metal, into which a pin or pintle fits to create a hinge or pivoting joint.
In a vessel with a stern-mounted rudder: the fitting into which the pintle of the rudder fits, allowing the rudder to swing freely.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English gojoun (“metal fitting with a ring at one end”) [and other forms], from Old French goujon (“dowel; pin”) [and other forms], from gouge (“gouge (tool)”) + -on (suffix forming diminutives). Gouge is derived from Late Latin gulbia, gubia (“chisel”), ultimately from Proto-Celtic *gulbā, *gulbīnos (“beak, bill”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.