A cockatoo is a kind of parrot from Australia or New Guinea which has a bunch of feathers called a crest on its head.
cockatoo in British English
(ˌkɒkəˈtuː, ˈkɒkəˌtuː)
nounWord forms: plural-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. Australian and New Zealand
a small farmer or settler
3. Australian informal
a lookout during some illegal activity
Word origin
C17: from Dutch kaketoe, from Malay kakatua
cockatoo in American English
(ˈkɑkəˌtu; ˌ kɑkəˈtu)
nounWord forms: pluralˈcockaˌtoos
any of a number of crested parrots (esp. genus Cacatua) of Australia and the East Indies, usually with predominantly white plumage, often tinged with yellow or pink
Word origin
Du kaketoe < Malay kakatua; prob. echoic in orig., but < ? kakak, brother, sister + tua, old; sp. infl. by cock1