dodo

American  

[doh-doh] / ˈdoʊ doʊ /

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.

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dodo British  

/ 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 (of a person or thing) irretrievably defunct or out of date

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dodo Idioms  

1. see under dead as a doornail.

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Other Word Forms

• dodoism noun

Etymology

Origin of dodo

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

Example Sentences

I came across exactly one ultra-rare single-zero roulette wheel on the Strip, which felt a little bit like uncovering the hutch of the last surviving dodo.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025

The Hall of Extinction and Hope analogizes manmade climate change and habitat destruction to a slow-moving asteroid that has already obliterated species such as the passenger pigeon, dodo and great auk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2025

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

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2025

As a subscriber to the Los Angeles Times for over 50 years, I must say that I’m sorry to see my Sports section go the way of the dodo bird.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 15, 2023

Even the very last dodo on earth started out as a baby dodo, full of hope and promise.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• clodpoll