tody

[ toh-dee ]

/ ˈtoʊ di /

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noun, plural to·dies.

any of several small West Indian birds of the family Todidae, related to the motmots and kingfishers, having brightly colored green and red plumage.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of tody

Apparently <French todier, based on New Latin Todus a genus, Latin: a kind of small bird

Words nearby tody

toddy table, to death, to-do, to-do list, Todt, tody, toe, toea, to each his own, toe and heel, toebie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tody in a sentence

"Why all my troubles fly away, quick as a wink," laughed Tody.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson
His voice wasn't as pleasant as Tody's nor the giant's, but what he said was all right.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson
Tody caught him just in time or there would have been trouble.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson
Tody the Clown sat by his side and kept his plate full and his cup full too.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson

Just one little one rolled down his right cheek But that was on the other side of Tody.
Seven O'Clock Stories|Robert Gordon Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for tody

tody

/ (ˈtəʊdɪ) /

noun plural -dies

any small bird of the family Todidae of the Caribbean, having a red-and-green plumage and long straight bill: order Coraciiformes (kingfishers, etc)

Word Origin for tody

C18: from French todier, from Latin todus small bird

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