cockatiel

or cock·a·teel

[kok-uh-teel]

noun

a small, crested, long-tailed Australian parrot, Nymphicus hollandicus, often kept as a pet.

Origin of cockatiel

1875–80; < Dutch kaketielje, < Portuguese cacatilha, equivalent to cacat(ua) cockatoo + -ilha < Latin -illa diminutive suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cockatiel

cockatiel

cockateel

noun

a crested Australian parrot, Leptolophus hollandicus, having a greyish-brown and yellow plumage

Word Origin for cockatiel

C19: from Dutch kaketielje, from Portuguese cacatilha a little cockatoo, from cacatua cockatoo

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012