The AI-powered English dictionary
plural dotterels
A gullible fool, especially an elderly person with impaired faculties. quotations examples
This poor dotterel, Sir Arthur, is playing fast and loose with me.
1792, Thomas Holcroft, Anna St. Ives, vol. V, letter 88
A small brown-and-black bird, Charadrius morinellus, of the plover family. examples
(Australia, New Zealand) Any of various small birds of Australasia thought to resemble the Eurasian dotterel. examples
comparative more dotterel, superlative most dotterel
decayed quotations examples
some old dotterel trees
c. 1570, Roger Ascham, The Scholemaster