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dotterel

Pronunciation: /ˈdɒtɹəl/

The English word “dotterel” has 4 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A gullible fool, especially an elderly person with impaired faculties.
  2. A small brown-and-black bird of species Charadrius morinellus, of the plover family.
  3. Any of various small birds of Australasia thought to resemble the Eurasian dotterel.

adjective

  1. decayed

Etymology

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

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