dodo

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a large flightless bird formerly native to Mauritius that became extinct in the seventeenth century

   The dodo disappeared soon after people and introduced animals reached Mauritius.

2. 2
   noun

   informal: a person or thing regarded as outdated, slow to adapt, or destined to disappear

   Critics dismissed the old device as a technological dodo.

First recorded in the seventeenth century; its origin is uncertain. Suggested sources include obsolete Portuguese doudo, 'foolish or simple,' and Dutch dodaars, a bird name. The figurative sense grew from the dodo's extinction and apparent ungainliness.

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