dodos

A family of dodos walks through a lush forest.

Definition

1. Noun (plural of ):
   • Extinct bird: "dodos" refers to large, flightless birds (scientific family Raphidae) that were native to the island of Mauritius and became extinct in the late 17th century due to human activity and introduced predators.
   • Figurative use: "dodos" can also refer to people or things that are out-of-date, obsolete, or no longer relevant, especially in modern contexts.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning:

  • The dodos were hunted to extinction by sailors and their domesticated animals. (The flightless birds from Mauritius were completely eliminated.)
  • Museums display reconstructed skeletons of dodos to show what they looked like. (Skeletal remains of these extinct birds are exhibited.)

• Figurative meaning:

  • Those old politicians are dodos — they don't understand the internet. (They are outdated and irrelevant.)
  • The company's outdated policies are like dodos in a digital age. (The policies are obsolete.)

Advanced Usage

• "as dead as a dodo": an idiom meaning completely extinct or no longer in use.
  • That old technology is as dead as a dodo. (It is completely obsolete.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dodo (singular noun): the individual bird or a single person who is outdated.

  • The dodo was a clumsy bird that could not fly. (The individual bird.)
  • He is a dodo when it comes to fashion. (He is unfashionable.)

• Dodoism (noun, rare): the quality or state of being outdated or obsolete.

  • The company's dodoism led to its bankruptcy. (Its outdatedness caused failure.)

Synonyms

• Extinct species: , (other extinct birds).
• Obsolete person/thing: , , , .

Related Idioms

• "Dead as a dodo": completely extinct or defunct.

  • That fashion trend is dead as a dodo. (It is no longer popular.)

• "Dodo bird" (slang): a person who is foolish or out of touch.

  • Don't be a dodo bird — update your software. (Don't be foolishly outdated.)