cockatoo

noun cock·a·too \ ˈkä-kə-ˌtü \

Definition of cockatoo

plural cockatoos

:any of various large noisy chiefly Australasian crested parrots (family Cacatuidae and especially genus Cacatua)

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Recent Examples of cockatoo from the Web

Large wanted to prove that apes could sense oscillations in music the same as humans, and the same as Snowball the dancing cockatoo, whose head-banging and high-kicking moves gained Youtube fame in the mid-2000s.

— rebecca lurye, courant.com, "UConn Prof's Smart Light Show System Listens To Music," 26 July 2017
The High Freq boasts a dramatic Honduran mahogany body and feathers from Crocker’s cockatoo on the headstock and tailpiece.

— AL.com, "Alabama blues icon tells the secrets behind his guitars," 23 June 2017
In this Miami Herald file photo from 1946, Winston Churchill, sits with Butch the cockatoo, Marco the military macaw, and friends at Parrot Jungle in Pinecrest.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Jungle Island is getting a new identity: an action-adventure park," 18 June 2017
News station CBS2 says the 12-week-old Goffin’s cockatoo was taken Saturday from For Birds Only, a store in Mineola (min-ee-OH’-lah).

— the associated press, The Seattle Times, "Thieves snatch $1,800 baby cockatoo from pet store," 29 May 2017
Most of the 60 species of glass squid are clear, but deep-sea cockatoo squid also have color-creating chromatophores.

— liz langley, National Geographic, "5 Animals That You Can See Right Through," 25 Mar. 2017
Meet one of the internet's most entertaining and confident cockatoos, Harley, who just got a good look at herself for the first time.

— brittany fuller, Woman's Day, "You'll Laugh Out Loud At This Cockatoo's Hilarious Reaction to Her Own Reflection," 2 Dec. 2016
Measurements of the motion provided a model that, adjusted for size differences, predicted the mid-air turn motions of four insect species, a cockatoo, a hummingbird and a bat.

— brandon keim, WIRED, "Secret Law of Flying Could Inspire Better Robots," 9 Apr. 2009

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cockatoo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Origin and Etymology of cockatoo

Dutch kaketoe, from Malay kakatua

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First Known Use: 1634

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COCKATOO Defined for English Language Learners

cockatoo

noun

Definition of cockatoo for English Language Learners

: a type of large parrot from Australia that has a large colorful bunch of feathers on top of its head

COCKATOO Defined for Kids

cockatoo

noun cock·a·too \ ˈkä-kə-ˌtü \

Definition of cockatoo for Students

plural cockatoos

:a large, noisy, and usually brightly colored crested parrot mostly of Australia

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See words that rhyme with cockatoo Spanish Central: Translation of cockatoo Nglish: Translation of cockatoo for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cockatoo

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