dodo

[doh-doh]

noun

plural

dodos, dodoes 

1. any of several clumsy, flightless, extinct birds of the genera Raphus and Pezophaps, related to pigeons but about the size of a turkey, formerly inhabiting the islands of Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodriguez.

2. Slang.,  a dull-witted, slow-reacting person.

3. a person with old-fashioned, conservative, or outmoded ideas.

4. a thing that is outmoded or obsolete.

dodo

/ ˈdəʊdəʊ /

noun

1. any flightless bird, esp Raphus cucullatus, of the recently extinct family Raphidae of Mauritius and adjacent islands: order Columbiformes (pigeons, etc). They had a hooked bill, short stout legs, and greyish plumage See also ratite

2. informal,  an intensely conservative or reactionary person who is unaware of changing fashions, ideas, etc

3. (of a person or thing) irretrievably defunct or out of date

Other Word Forms

• dodoism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dodo¹

First recorded in 1620–30, dodo is from the Portuguese word doudo, fool, madman (of uncertain origin); the bird apparently so called from its clumsy appearance

Word History and Origins

Origin of dodo¹

C17: from Portuguese doudo, from doudo stupid

Idioms and Phrases

see under dead as a doornail.

Example Sentences

The company’s other de-extinction hopes include reviving the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.

From Los Angeles Times

Patience, of course, is as rare as the dodo bird on the Govan Road.

From BBC

But with the pension going the way of the dodo, planning and saving for retirement isn't your employer's problem anymore.

From Salon

Despite how resilient sharks may seem, though, they may not be able to dodge the fate of the dodo or the passenger pigeon.

From Salon

So the circle has come full, and it looks a lot like the dodo’s flight path.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• clodpoll