cockatoo

UK: /ˌkɒkəˈtuː/ US: /ˈkɑkəˌtu/ ,(kok′ə to̅o̅′, kok′ə to̅o̅′)

Inflections of 'cockatoo' (n): npl: cockatoos

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cock•a•too /ˈkɑkəˌtu/   n. [countable] , pl. -toos. 

1. Birds a large, usually white crested parrot of Australia and New Guinea.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cock•a•too  (kok′ə to̅o̅′, kok′ə to̅o̅′), n., pl. -toos. 

1. Birds any of numerous large, noisy, crested parrots of the genera Cacatua, Callocephalon, Calyptorhynchus, etc., of the Australasian region, having chiefly white plumage tinged with yellow, pink, or red: popular as a pet.
2. British Terms [Australian.]
   • a person who owns and works a small farm or ranch.
   • [Slang.] a lookout posted by criminals or the operators of illegal gambling games.

• Malay kakatua, perh. etymologizing alteration of Central Moluccan jaka any psittacine bird, by association with Malay kakak sibling, kakak tua older sibling); spelling, spelled copies cock¹
• Dutch kaketoe
• 1610–20

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cockatoo / ˌkɒkəˈtuː ˈkɒkəˌtuː/ noun ( -toos)

1. any of various parrots of the genus Kakatoe and related genera, such as K. galerita (sulphur-crested cockatoo), of Australia and New Guinea. They have an erectile crest and most of them are light-coloured
2. a small farmer or settler
3. a lookout during some illegal activity

Etymology: 17th Century: from Dutch kaketoe, from Malay kakatua