coot

American  

[koot] / kut /

noun

1. any aquatic bird of the genus Fulica, as F. americana, of North America, and F. atra, of the Old World, characterized by lobate toes and short wings and tail.

2. any of various other swimming or diving birds, especially the scoters.

3. Informal. a foolish or crotchety person, especially one who is old.

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coot British  

/ kuːt /

noun

1. any aquatic bird of the genus Fulica, esp F. atra of Europe and Asia, having lobed toes, dark plumage, and a white bill with a frontal shield: family Rallidae (rails, crakes, etc)

2. a foolish person, esp an old man (often in the phrase old coot )

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Etymology

Origin of coot

1250–1300; Middle English cote; cognate with Dutch koet

Example Sentences

After scrambling in the water for food, this coot eventually caught a loach.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2023

In Ireland, efforts are underway to preserve the call of the corncrake — a small, shy bird related to the coot.

From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2022

This is a man who has spent pretty much his entire adult life pretending to be a harmless old coot from Congress.

From Washington Times • Jul. 11, 2022

“Nowadays it would be difficult to find a coot nest in the canals of Amsterdam without a face mask,” Rambonnet and Hiemstra wrote in an email.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2021

Every other old bird or coot in the place will have seen the whole show, including the Spec, and where’s the fairness in that?

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen