par|rot

par|rot «PAR uht», noun, verb.

–n.

1. a bird with a stout, hooked bill, and often with bright-colored feathers. There are many kinds, comprising an order of birds. Parakeets, cockatoos, lovebirds, macaws, and lories are parrots. Some parrots, such as the gray parrot of West Africa, have fleshy tongues and can be taught to imitate sounds and to repeat words and sentences.

2. Figurative. a person who repeats words or acts without understanding them.

–v.t.

to repeat without understanding or sense: »

On the whole, the students seemed serious and hard-working, but they confined themselves to parroting textbooks (Atlantic).

╂[perhaps < French Perrot (diminutive) < Pierre Peter]

–par´rot|like´, adjective.