coot

Meaning

Any of various aquatic birds of the genus Fulica that are mainly black with a prominent frontal shield on the forehead.
(colloquial) A foolish or eccentric fellow

simpleton

Fulica

ankle-joint

bald-coot

water-hen

Eurasian Coot

Eurasian coot

Old World coot

a silly person

water-crow

mud duck

bald

fawl

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kuːt/

From Middle English cote, coote, cute, cuytt (“coot”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from an unrecorded Old English word, or borrowed from Middle Dutch coet, cuut, kuut (“coot”) (whence modern Dutch koet and meerkoet (“coot”)). Possibly related to Middle High German kūz, kūze (modern German Kauz (“owl”)), Old English cȳta (“kite, bittern”) (whence English kite), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kūts (“bird of prey”). See kite.