A small plover bird (a type of game bird), or an old-fashioned term for a foolish person.
From Middle English and Old French 'dotrel,' possibly from 'dot' (meaning stupid) or from Old Norse roots; the bird term refers to the bird's easily frightened behavior.
The dottrel bird got its name because it was considered foolish and easy to hunt—hunters would use mirrors or wave their arms to distract it, so the bird became a symbol of gullibility, and the word was also used as an insult for people who were easily fooled.
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