hun
part of speech
noun (a Hun, the Huns — the people); noun (hun — slang, a term of address)
meaning for a pupil
1) (history) The Huns were a nomadic people from Central Asia who rode into Europe in the 300s and 400s AD; their most famous leader was Attila. tree →
2) (slang, UK and Australia) «Hun» is a short form of «honey», used as a friendly or loving way to call someone, like «love» or «dear». tree →
3) (offensive, historical) In the First and Second World Wars «the Hun» was an insulting name British people used for German soldiers; it is not used for people today. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history lessons the Huns appear with the fall of the Roman Empire and Attila the Hun. In everyday chat, especially in messages, «hun» is a warm word: «You OK, hun?». In old war stories and posters «the Hun» shows wartime hatred, so readers should notice it as name-calling. Phrases: «Attila the Hun», «thanks hun», «you alright hun?».
examples
- Attila the Hun led his army across Europe. tree →
- The Huns fought on horseback and moved from place to place. tree →
- «Thanks for the cake, hun!» said Mum's friend. tree →
- «Don't cry, hun, it's only a scratch,» said the nurse. tree →
- Old wartime posters called German soldiers «the Hun». tree →
- The Romans feared the Huns more than almost any other enemy. tree →
- «Love you, hun x,» she wrote at the end of the text. tree →
- He searched, and found a large golden armlet of superior workmanship, and it was evident that the plough had disturbed a Hun's grave. tree →
note
Capital «Hun» for the people; small «hun» for the friendly slang. The slang is informal: fine among friends and family, odd in a school essay. The war insult is offensive and only appears in history. Not the same as «Hungarian», although the name «Hungary» is sometimes wrongly linked to the Huns.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «hun» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.