cockatoo

Where does the word "cockatoo" come from? It comes from Malay kakatuwa, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).

Cockatoo’s story begins in Malay: kakatuwa meant “the crested cockatoo.” The name for the crested parrot native to the region. It reached English by 1700s as cockatoo. Malay 'kakatua', possibly imitating the bird's cry, reshaped by English 'cock'; it appeared as early as 1634 in Thomas Herbert's account of his travels to Persia and the East Indies. Today, cockatoo means a crested parrot native to Australia and nearby islands.

1. Stage 1 · Malay · 1600s kakatuwa "the crested cockatoo", the name for the crested parrot native to the region.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s cockatoo "a crested parrot", Malay 'kakatua', possibly imitating the bird's cry, reshaped by English 'cock'; it appeared as early as 1634 in Thomas Herbert's account of his travels to Persia and the East Indies.