dodo

noun

do·​do ˈdō-(ˌ)dō 

plural dodoes or dodos

1

a

: an extinct heavy flightless bird (Raphus cucullatus synonym Didus ineptus of the family Columbidae) of the island of Mauritius that was larger than a turkey and was related to the pigeon

b

: an extinct flightless bird (Raphus solitarius) of the island of Réunion similar to and closely related to the dodo

2

a

: one hopelessly behind the times

b

: a stupid person

Illustration of dodo

• dodo 1a

Synonyms

• antediluvian
• Colonel Blimp
• fogy
• fogey
• fossil
• fud
• fuddy-duddy
• mossback
• reactionary
• stick-in-the-mud
• stuffed shirt

Examples of dodo in a Sentence

That dodo can't do anything right.

I feel like a complete dodo.

Recent Examples on the Web

The wink and nod to help out a fellow manufacturer era seems to be going the way of the dodo in NASCAR. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024

The resulting animal will be a close approximation of a thylacine—or, in the company’s other de-extinction projects, a modern woolly mammoth or dodo. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024

Projects to resurrect animals that have gone extinct more recently — the mammoth, dodo and Tasmanian tiger — are reaching an inflection point, although the goal is to create a hybrid approximation of those creatures, not carbon copies. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 5 Oct. 2024

With the funding, the company plans to, for example, rewrite elephant DNA with mammoth genes to create a mammoth-like embryo, and the company’s goal has expanded to editing and re-writing DNA to restore or preserve several extinct animals like the dodo bird or Tasmanian tiger. —Stephen Pastis, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese doudo, from doudo silly, stupid

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing dodo

• (as) dead as a dodo

Kids Definition

dodo

noun

do·​do ˈdōd-ō 

plural dodoes or dodos

1

: a large heavy flightless extinct bird related to the pigeons and formerly found on some of the islands of the Indian Ocean

2

a

: a person who is hopelessly behind the times

b

: a stupid person

Etymology

from Portuguese doudo, name given by Portuguese sailors to the bird, from doudo (adjective) "silly, stupid"