tody
tody Lexical Profile
tody Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of several small, brilliantly colored, insectivorous birds of the family Todidae, endemic to the forests of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean, characterized by vibrant green plumage, a bright red throat, and a long, flattened bill.
"During our ornithology excursion in the Dominican Republic, we were thrilled to spot a broad-billed tody perched quietly on a low branch."
Word Nuance & Usage
The word 'tody' (a type of Caribbean bird) is a homophone of the much more common word 'toady' (a sycophant), which can lead to spelling confusion.
• Rhymes for tody
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Latin word 'todus', which referred to a small bird mentioned by the Roman playwright Plautus; the name was later applied to this specific Caribbean bird family by 18th-century ornithologists.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.