dodo

[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.
Origin
1620-30; < Portuguese doudo, fool, madman (of uncertain origin); the bird apparently so called from its clumsy appearance
Related forms
dodoism, noun
British Dictionary definitions for dodo

dodo

/ˈdəʊdəʊ/
noun (pl) dodos, dodoes
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.
(as) dead as a dodo, (of a person or thing) irretrievably defunct or out of date
Derived Forms
dodoism, noun
Word Origin
C17: from Portuguese doudo, from doudo stupid
Word Origin and History for dodo
n.

1620s, from Portuguese doudo "fool, simpleton," an insult applied by Portuguese sailors to the awkward bird (Didus ineptus) they found on Mauritius island. The last record of a living one is from 1681. Applied in English to stupid persons since 1886.

Slang definitions & phrases for dodo

dodo

noun
  1. A stupid, inept person; turkey (1880s+)
  2. A boring person; fogy: I'm a respectable old dodo (1880s+)
  3. A student pilot who has not yet made a solo flight (1940s+ Army Air Corps)
Related Terms

dead as a dodo

[fr the extinct dodo bird, rather sluggish and flightless; oddly enough, the word is fr the Portuguese name doudo, ''simpleton, fool,'' given to the bird]


dodo in the Bible

amatory; loving. (1.) A descendant of Issachar (Judg. 10:1). (2.) An Ahohite, father of Eleazar, who was one of David's three heroes (2 Sam. 23:9; 1 Chr. 11:12). He was the same with Dodai mentioned in 1 Chr. 27:4. (3.) A Bethlehemite, and father of Elhanan, who was one of David's thirty heroes (2 Sam. 23:24).

Idioms and Phrases with dodo

dodo

see under dead as a doornail
Encyclopedia Article for dodo

Dodo

American jazz pianist (b. Dec. 12, 1925, Pittsburgh, Pa.-d. Sept. 17, 2002, Pittsburgh), was a teenaged musician in top swing bands (Gene Krupa, Charlie Barnet, and Artie Shaw) before he became one of the first pianists to master the complexities of bebop; he played modern harmonies and fluent melodies in classic recordings by Lester Young and Charlie Parker, and he also led his own trios; a technically gifted, lyrical soloist with a bright, clear touch, he was nationally noted in the 1940s but played primarily in the Pittsburgh area after 1954 and made his last records in 1961-62.

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