cockatoo
English
Etymology
From Dutch kaketoe, borrowed from Malay kakaktua, kakatua. Spelling influenced by cock.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU): (file)
Noun
cockatoo (plural cockatoos)
- A bird of the family Cacatuidae with a curved beak and a zygodactyl foot. [from 1610s]
- We saw some cockatoos in the aviary.
- (slang, obsolete) A lookout posted during a two-up game, when gambling was illegal.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- cockatoo farmer
- cockatoo grass
- gang-gang cockatoo
- glossy black cockatoo
- Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
- palm cockatoo
- pink cockatoo
- red-tailed black cockatoo
- roseate cockatoo
- sulphur-crested cockatoo
- white cockatoo
- yellow-crested cockatoo
- yellow-tailed black cockatoo
Translations
a bird
|
See also
Further reading
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “cockatoo”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.