Parrot
Pronunciation
- GenAm enPR: părʹət, IPA: /ˈpɛɹət/, /ˈpæɹət/
- RP enPR: părʹət, IPA: /ˈpæɹət/
- Rhymes: -æɹət
- Hyphenation: par + rot
Origin
First attested in 1525. From Middle French perrot, either a diminutive of Pierre or a shortened form of perroquet. 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.
Full definition of parrot
Noun
parrot
(plural parrots)- A kind of bird, many species of which are colourful and able to mimic human speech, of the order Psittaciformes.I bought a wonderful parrot at the pet store.
- Dickens Little Dorrit|1|33Mrs Merdle was at home, and was in her nest of crimson and gold, with the parrot on a neighbouring stem watching her with his head on one side, as if he took her for another splendid parrot of a larger species.
- The true parrots, of the family Psittacidae.
- A parroter; a person who repeats what was just said.What kind of a parrot are you? He just said that.
- 1837, Ralph Waldo Emerson, ,In this distribution of functions, the scholar is the delegated intellect. In the right state, he is, Man Thinking. In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or, still worse, the parrot of other men’s thinking.
- (archaic) A puffin.
- (geology, obsolete) Channel coal.
Synonyms
- (kind of bird) popinjay, Psittaciformes
- (person who repeats what was said) copycat, mimic, parroter
- (puffin) puffin, sea-parrot, tomnoddy
- (channel coal) channel coal
Derived terms
Related terms
Verb
- (transitive) To repeat (exactly what has just been said) without necessarily showing understanding, in the manner of a parrot.
- 1996, Bill Clinton, (15 June)So when political leaders parrot the tobacco company line, say cigarettes are not necessarily addictive, and oppose our efforts to keep tobacco away from our children, they continue to cater to powerful interests, but they're not standing up for parents and children.