dotterel

English

Etymology

15th century. From dote (“to be foolish; senile”) +‎ -rel (“pejorative suffix”). The bird is so named as it is easy to catch.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdɒtɹəl/

Noun

dotterel (plural dotterels)

  1. A gullible fool.
  2. Any of various small birds in the plover family Charadriidae; sometimes used interchangeably with plover.

Synonyms

  • (gullible fool): dotard, dote; see also Thesaurus:fool

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Adjective

dotterel (comparative more dotterel, superlative most dotterel)

  1. decayed
    • Ascham
      some old dotterel trees

Anagrams

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