Dodo

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Dodo can ber either a proper noun or a common noun.

  • Dodo is a short form of the forename Dorothy. There are two main types of such shortenings: they are convenient for writing, e.g. in lists; or they are essentially spoken pet-names, and thus informal. (See Conventional abbreviations for forenames.)
Short form Long form Informal or written Other short forms Remarks
Dodo Dorothy informal Doll; Dot(ty); Doth; Written forms Dory; Dot

There is a list of similar names at Conventional abbreviations for forenames, as well as the category:short names

Note that any informal form may be spelled in different ways. Notably, any spelling listed that ends in '-ie' may be written with the ending '-y', and vice versa.
  • The [[common noun 'a dodo' is the name of a species of bird famous for having become extinct. A native of the Isle of Mauritius, the Didus ineptus (ORD) or Raphus cucullatus (Princeton), a flightless relative of the pigeon, became extinct during the second half of the 17th century, as a result of European hunting in - and introduction of alien predators to - the island. It was one of the first occasions on which humans became aware that they had contributed to the death of an entire species. Consequently, the dodo bercame proverbial as a symbol: "as dead as a dodo" means 'absolutely, incontrovertibly dead'. The causes for its being hunted to extinction are said to be
  1. that the bird had no fear of man;
  2. that it was not very clever;
  3. that it was very slow and lacked agility.
    • Hence the transferred and figurative use of a dodo to mean , an old-fashioned, stupid, inactive, or unenlightened person" (OED).