dotterel
adjEtymology 15th century. From dote (“to be foolish; senile”) + -rel (“pejorative suffix”). The bird is so named as it is easy to catch.
1
decayed
- some old dotterel treesc. 1570, Roger Ascham, The Scholemaster:
dotterel
noun/ˈdɒtɹəl/
Etymology 15th century. From dote (“to be foolish; senile”) + -rel (“pejorative suffix”). The bird is so named as it is easy to catch.
1
A gullible fool, especially an elderly person with impaired faculties.
- This poor dotterel, Sir Arthur, is playing fast and loose with me.1792, Thomas Holcroft, Anna St. Ives, vol. V, letter 88:
2
A small brown-and-black bird of species Charadrius morinellus, of the plover family.
3
Australia, New Zealand Any of various small birds of Australasia thought to resemble the Eurasian dotterel.
- Derived terms
- black-fronted dotterel, Eurasian dotterel, hooded dotterel, inland dotterel, red-kneed dotterel, sea dotterel, shore dotterel, tawny-throated dotterel