cockatoo
[ kok-uh-too, kok-uh-too ]
/ ˈkɒk əˌtu, ˌkɒk əˈtu /
noun, plural cock·a·toos.
any of numerous large, noisy, crested parrots of the genera Cacatua, Callocephalon, Calyptorhynchus, etc., of the Australasian region, having chiefly white plumage tinged with yellow, pink, or red: popular as a pet.
Australian.
- a person who owns and works a small farm or ranch.
- Slang. a lookout posted by criminals or the operators of illegal gambling games.
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Origin of cockatoo
1610–20; <Dutch kaketoe<Malay kakatua, perhaps etymologizing alteration of Central Moluccan jaka any psittacine bird, by association with Malay kakak sibling, kakak tua older sibling); spelling copies cock1
Words nearby cockatoo
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for cockatoo
cockatoo
/ (ˌkɒkəˈtuː, ˈkɒkəˌtuː) /
noun plural -toos
any of various parrots of the genus Kakatoe and related genera, such as K. galerita (sulphur-crested cockatoo), of Australia and New Guinea. They have an erectile crest and most of them are light-coloured
Australian and NZ a small farmer or settler
Australian informal a lookout during some illegal activity
Word Origin for cockatoo
C17: from Dutch kaketoe, from Malay kakatua
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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