parrot

PA-ruht/ˈpæɹət/

Pluralparrots

Verbparrots, parroting, parroted

6 meanings of parrot

Practice

1
nouncountable
A colorful bird with a curved beak that can often copy the sounds of human speech.
The parrot in the pet shop said hello to everyone who walked by.
Wild parrots flew over the trees, calling loudly to each other.
Note
2
verbtransitive
To repeat someone's words exactly without really understanding them.
Like a bird that copies sounds without knowing what they mean.
He just parroted the answer from the book without knowing what it meant.
Don't parrot my words back to me. Tell me what you think.
Similarrepeat, echo, regurgitate, recite
Note
3
nounfigurativelycountable
A person who repeats the words or ideas of other people.
Don't be a parrot. Come up with your own answer.
He's a parrot who says whatever his big brother says.
Similarmimic, copycat
Note
4
nounslangcountable
A radio device on a plane that sends out a code so radar can tell which plane it is.
Like a name tag the plane wears, but made of radio signals.
The pilot turned on the parrot so the airport's radar could find the plane.
Our parrot stopped working, so the people on the ground could not see our code.
Similartransponder
Note

Less common meanings

5
nounarchaic
A puffin, a small black-and-white sea bird with a large, colorful beak.
The fishermen watched a parrot dive into the cold sea after small fish.
Hundreds of parrots nested in holes along the high cliff.
Note
6
nounobsolete
A kind of coal that lights easily and burns with a bright flame.
The miners dug parrot from a deep seam under the hill.
She put a lump of parrot on the fire, and it crackled and blazed at once.
Note

Practice

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Origin

First seen in 1525. It comes from a Middle French word 'perrot', which may be a pet form of the name Pierre or a short form of 'perroquet'. It replaced the older word 'popinjay'.