coot

a dark gray aquatic bird; a foolish person: He’s just an old coot.

Not to be confused with:

cute – attractive in a dainty way; pleasingly pretty: a cute puppy; affectedly clever; precious: too old to be acting so unbearably cute

coot

(ko͞ot)

1. Any of several waterbirds of the widely distributed genus Fulica, having dark-gray plumage, a black head and neck, and often a white bill.

2. See scoter.

3. Derogatory An eccentric or crotchety person, especially an old man.

[Middle English cote, from Middle Dutch kuut, koet, of unknown origin.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

coot

(kuːt)

1. (Animals) any aquatic bird of the genus Fulica, esp F. atra of Europe and Asia, having lobed toes, dark plumage, and a white bill with a frontal shield: family Rallidae (rails, crakes, etc)

2. a foolish person, esp an old man (often in the phrase old coot)

[C14: probably from Low German; compare Dutch koet]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

coot

(kut)

n.

1. any aquatic rail of the genus Fulica, as F. americana, of North America, and F. atra, of the Old World, characterized by lobate toes.

2. any of various other swimming or diving birds, esp. the scoters.

3. Informal. a foolish or crotchety person, esp. one who is old.

[1250–1300; Middle English cote; akin to Dutch koet]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

coot - slate-black slow-flying birds somewhat resembling ducks

rail - any of numerous widely distributed small wading birds of the family Rallidae having short wings and very long toes for running on soft mud

Fulica, genus Fulica - coots

American coot, Fulica americana, marsh hen, mud hen, water hen - a coot found in North America

Fulica atra, Old World coot - a coot found in Eurasia

covert - a flock of coots

coot

noun

Related words
collective noun covert

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

focha común

foulque

folaga

coot

[kuːt] N

1. (Orn) → focha f (común), fúlica f

2. (= fool) → bobo/a m/f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

coot

[ˈkuːt] n (= bird) → foulque fco-ownership [ˌkəʊˈəʊnə^rʃɪp] n → copropriété f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

coot

n → Wasserhuhn nt; bald as a coot → völlig kahl; to be as bald as a coot → eine Platte haben (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

coot

[kuːt] n (Zool) → folaga

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Inglethorp always had an extra large amount of medicine made up at a time, as she dealt with Coot's, the Cash Chemists in Tadminster.

It was only human nature to endeavour to please "The Hall"--especially when it might result in custom being transferred from Coot's to the local establishment.

View in context

I stood forninst him, an' 'twas not me oi alone that cud tell Peg was dhrunk as a coot.

View in context

Can't you imagine him--bald as a coot, with a pair of sponge-bag trousers, a little spotted tie, and a corporation?"

View in context

'Hoold 'em toight,' cried the guard, 'while ar coot treaces.

View in context

At Tristan d'Acunha, where, according to Carmichael, there are only two land-birds, there is a coot. From these facts I believe that the waders, after the innumerable web-footed species, are generally the first colonists of small isolated islands.

View in context

On the other hand, grebes and coots are eminently aquatic, although their toes are only bordered by membrane.

View in context

However, young coot sometimes face a bigger threat from their parents, who usually give up feeding the young after three or four days.

GO WILDwith eric paylor

DEBKAfile's military sources add that an Il-20 Coot has been sighted in the last few days at the Iraqi Al Taqaddum Air base near Baghdad.

Russia Overrides Middle East Cyber Waves

He laid the coot on the ground and returned to his wife, hugging her shoulders.

The Cyclist

But the coot's shindig had simmered down by the time officials arrived yesterday, with the balloons nowhere to be seen.

Surprised bird has a coot as nest gets party makeover

Black Coot, Fulica atra is one of the migratory birds who come to Pakistan from Siberia in winter from October-March every year.

CATATROPIS SP. (TREMATODA: NOTOCOTYLIDAE) FROM THE BLACK COOT, FULICA ATRA LINNAEUS, 1758 (GRUIFORMES: RALLIDAE) IN SINDH PROVINCE OF PAKISTAN