English Explanatory Dictionary

coot

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.
  2. A foolish or eccentric fellow
noun
  1. Body louse (Pediculus humanus).

Pronunciation

/kuːt/ En-au-coot.ogg

Word forms

coot coots

Etymology

From Middle English cote, coote, cute, cuytt (“coot”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from an unrecorded Old English word, or borrowed from Middle Dutch coet, cuut, kuut (“coot”) (whence modern Dutch koet and meerkoet (“coot”)). Possibly related to Middle High German kūz, kūze (modern German Kauz (“owl”)), Old English cȳta (“kite, bittern”) (whence English kite), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *kūt (“bird of prey”). See kite.

Related words

fulicine

Derived words

American coot Andean coot Caribbean coot Eurasian coot giant coot Hawaiian coot horned coot Fulica cornuta) mascarene coot red-fronted coot red-gartered coot red-knobbed coot sea coot white-winged coot bald as a coot cootling cracked as a coot crazy as a coot daffy as a coot daft as a coot deaf as a coot dizzy as a coot drunk as a coot gay as a coot happy as a coot loony as a coot mad as a coot old coot pissed as a coot queer as a coot rich coot silly as a coot simple as a coot cootfoot cooty
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