kiwi
1
6.8
- noun
- /ˈkiːwi/
- New Zealand
:
kiwi
- And so the kakapo solved that by becoming nocturnal like the kiwi.
- female kiwi
Examples
-
In the national park, we listened for the distinct calls of the kiwi in the evening as they ventured out to forage.
-
You would do well, boy, to consider the lesson of the tiny kiwi bird and her enormous egg.
Fiction book (1990) -
Yet the bird that lays such an egg, the brown kiwi, is just slightly larger than a domestic chicken.
Academic text (1993) -
You got the penguin, you got the emu and you got the kiwi.
-
At the time of hatching, a third of the mass of the kiwi chick is still yolk.
Academic text (1993) -
The kiwi actually has vestigial wings tucked away in its downy feathers.
Blog text (19) -
PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): An X-ray reveals an egg ready for laying in a female brown kiwi's oviduct.
Academic text (1993) -
During our visit to New Zealand, we were lucky enough to see a kiwi bird for the first time in its natural habitat.
-
The kiwi is unique among birds, as it is nocturnal and cannot fly.
Synonyms
A small flightless bird from New Zealand that is active at night and has a long beak
Compounds
1
1.6
An oval brown fruit with fuzzy skin, green inside, and a slightly sour taste, often eaten raw or in desserts
Surface Forms
Etymology
Kiwi comes from the Māori name for the small, night-active bird, and the short name also matches the bird's sharp call. That's why the bird is a national symbol of New Zealand and why people from New Zealand are often called 'Kiwis'.