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# hun

«hun» in Mova's school dictionary: **The Huns were a nomadic people from Central Asia who rode…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#m1)

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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#m2)

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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#m3)

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#x1)
- The Huns fought on horseback and moved from place to place. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#x2)
- «Thanks for the cake, hun!» said Mum's friend. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#x3)
- «Don't cry, hun, it's only a scratch,» said the nurse. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#x4)
- Old wartime posters called German soldiers «the Hun». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#x5)
- The Romans feared the Huns more than almost any other enemy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#x6)
- «Love you, hun x,» she wrote at the end of the text. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#x7)
- 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/#x8)

### 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](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hun/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.