parrot

Meanings

Noun

• A kind of bird, many species of which are colourful and able to mimic human speech, of the order Psittaciformes or (narrowly) of the family Psittacidae.
• A parroter; a person who repeats the words or ideas of others.
• A puffin.
• Channel coal.
• A transponder.

Verb

• To repeat (exactly what has just been said) without necessarily showing understanding, in the manner of a parrot.

Related

Similar words

• ape, copycat

Narrower meaning words

• budgerigar, kakapo, lorikeet, lory, lovebird, macaw, parakeet, rosella

Origin

• First attested in 1525. From Middle French perrot, either a diminutive of Pierre or a shortened form of perroquet (whence also parakeet). Compare French pierrot and Occitan parrat. A number of origins have been suggested for perroquet, such as Spanish periquito and Italian parrocchetto. The relationship between these various words is disputed. Replaced earlier popinjay.