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dotterel

 - 2 dictionary results

dot⋅ter⋅el

[dot-er-uhl]
–noun
1. any of several plovers usually inhabiting upland areas, esp. Eudromias morinellus, of Europe and Asia.
2. British Dialect. a silly, stupid person, esp. one who is easily duped.
Also, dot⋅trel [do-truhl] .


Origin:
1400–50; late ME dotrelle. See dote, -rel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Encyclopedia

dotterel

any of several species of birds of the plover family, Charadriidae (order Charadriiformes), especially the Eurasian dotterel (Eudromias morinellus). The Eurasian dotterel is mottled brown above, with a broad, white eye stripe and a narrow, white band separating its breast, which is gray, from its russet-coloured belly. It is about 20 centimetres (8 inches) long. It nests in tundra and in mountains across Eurasia to western Alaska and as far south as Britain and the Balkans, migrating to northern Africa and the Middle East. The male undertakes most of the nesting duties

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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