 The etymology of the word dodo is unclear . Some ascribe it to the Dutch word <unk> for " <unk> " , but it is more probably related to <unk> , which means either " fat @-@ arse " or " knot @-@ arse " , referring to the knot of feathers on the hind end . The first record of the word <unk> is in Captain Willem Van West @-@ Zanen 's journal in 1602 . The English writer Sir Thomas Herbert was the first to use the word dodo in print in his 1634 travelogue , claiming it was referred to as such by the Portuguese , who had visited Mauritius in 1507 . Another Englishman , Emmanuel Altham , had used the word in a 1628 letter , in which he also claimed the origin was Portuguese . The name " <unk> " was introduced into English at the same time as dodo , but was only used until the 18th century . As far as is known , the Portuguese never mentioned the bird . Nevertheless , some sources still state that the word dodo derives from the Portuguese word <unk> ( currently <unk> ) , meaning " fool " or " crazy " . It has also been suggested that dodo was an onomatopoeic approximation of the bird 's call , a two @-@ note pigeon @-@ like sound resembling " doo @-@ doo " . 
