parrot
noun
- type of bird
verb
- repeat exactly what was said
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈpæɹət/ / /ˈpaɹət/ / /ˈpɛɹət/
name
Etymology: Variant of Parrott.
- A surname transferred from the given name.
noun
Etymology: First attested in 1525. From Middle French perrot, either a diminutive of Pierre or a shortened form of perroquet (whence also parakeet). Compare French pierrot and Occitan parrat. A number of origins have been suggested for perroquet, such as Spanish periquito and Italian parrocchetto. The relationship between these various words is disputed. Replaced earlier popinjay.
- A kind of bird, many species of which are colorful and able to mimic human speech, of the order Psittaciformes or (narrowly) of the family Psittacidae.
“I bought a wonderful parrot at the pet store.”
“Mrs. Merdle was at home, and was in her nest of crimson and gold, with the parrot on a neighbouring stem watching her with his head on one side, as if he took her for another splendid parrot of a larger species.”
- A parroter; a person who repeats the words or ideas of others.
“What kind of a parrot are you? He just said that.”
“In this distribution of functions, the scholar is the delegated intellect. In the right state, he is, Man Thinking. In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or, still worse, the parrot of other men’s thinking.”
- A puffin.
- channel coal.
- A transponder.
verb
Etymology: First attested in 1525. From Middle French perrot, either a diminutive of Pierre or a shortened form of perroquet (whence also parakeet). Compare French pierrot and Occitan parrat. A number of origins have been suggested for perroquet, such as Spanish periquito and Italian parrocchetto. The relationship between these various words is disputed. Replaced earlier popinjay.
- To repeat (exactly what has just been said) without necessarily showing understanding, in the manner of a parrot.
“The interviewee merely parroted the views of her tabloid.”
“So when political leaders parrot the tobacco company line, say cigarettes are not necessarily addictive, and oppose our efforts to keep tobacco away from our children, they continue to cater to powerful interests, but they're not standing up for parents and children.”