goon

 
Pronunciation: /guːn/

noun

informal
  • 1a silly, foolish, or eccentric person.
  • 2chiefly North American a bully or thug, especially a member of an armed or security force.
  • 3British a guard in a German prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War.

Origin:

mid 19th century: perhaps from dialect gooney 'booby'; influenced by the subhuman cartoon character 'Alice the Goon', created by E. C. Segar (1894–1938), American cartoonist