Cockies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A regional term for certain small, typically greenish parrots native to Australia; informal designation for individuals involved in cockfighting or breeders of fighting cocks; colloquially used to refer to cockatoos or similar bird species
2. Used chiefly in Australian English to denote small parakeets known for their distinctive calls; a nickname for participants or enthusiasts of the cockfighting sport; alternatively, a familiar name for cockatoos or related avian types
3. Commonly applied to particular kinds of wild parrots found in Australia; a slang term related to those who raise or engage in fights between roosters; occasionally a casual label for cockatoos or comparable bird categories

Etymology: "Cockies" is the plural of "cocky," the Australian term for a small parrot, and that name comes from the chicken yard. The word "cock" meant a male domestic chicken, and the suffix "-y" was added to it as a diminutive, giving something like "little cock." The name was then applied to the cockatoo, shortened to "cocky" in the process. The noun is therefore a clipping of "cockatoo," a bird whose name itself came into English from Dutch, with the diminutive ending doing the work of turning a large bird into a small one. Over time, "cocky" also came to mean a farmer, and the verb was formed from the noun.

Synonyms: cockatoos, parrots, birds, psittacines, avian species