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.

Nearby words

cockaigne, cockalorum, cockamamie, cockapoo, cockatiel, cockatoo, cockatrice, cockayne, cockayne's syndrome, cockboat, cockchafer

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

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

Examples from the Web for cockatoo

When one can play the violin and can't teach, any more than a cockatoo, what's the good of wasting one's time in teaching?'
Robert Elsmere|Mrs. Humphry Ward
The man on the land in Australia is represented by two classes, the squatter and the cockatoo farmer.
The Awful Australian|Valerie Desmond
The cockatoo was sent in the cage by coach, and a perch, made of foreign wood, followed by the carrier.
Tales from Many Sources|Various
"There is no need to be so angry, old lady," replied the cockatoo.
The Cockatoo's Story|Mrs. George Cupples

Cockatoo then returned by boat to the Gartley jetty and told his master.
The Green Mummy|Fergus Hume

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012