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Glite Dictionary
laughing owl

laughing owl

9.9
An almost extinct New Zealand owl with a loud laughing call
  • noun
  • /ˈlæfɪŋ aʊl/
  • New Zealand
translation icon : búho risueño
  • The laughing owl was once common throughout New Zealand but is now believed extinct.

Examples

  • Early settlers described the laughing owl's call as eerie and haunting.

  • Several museums still display preserved laughing owls collected in the 19th century.

  • The laughing owl is a rare sight in New Zealand.

  • Have you ever heard a laughing owl call?

  • Early settlers described the laughing owl's call as eerie and haunting.

  • The laughing owl was once common throughout New Zealand but is now believed extinct.

  • Several museums still display preserved laughing owls collected in the 19th century.

Synonyms

Sceloglaux albifacies
vslaughing owl
  • Specialized
9.9

An owl from New Zealand called the laughing owl that is now extinct

uses the everyday common name and includes the indigenous name
laughing jackass
vslaughing owl
  • Archaic
9.9

A nearly extinct New Zealand owl with a loud call that sounds like laughter

uses the common name while giving the indigenous form

Surface Forms

laughing owl singular
laughing owls plural

Morphology

laughing + owl

The meaning 'a type of owl characterized by a laughing call' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'laughing' (making a laughing sound) with 'owl' (a bird). A B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer it refers to an owl that produces a laughing-like call, even if they do not know the specific species name or cultural background.

Etymology

Laughing owl comes from the bird's strange call, because early settlers said its cry sounded like human laughter. One popular story says the Māori called it 'whēkau', and that laugh-like sound is why the word laughing is used for the owl today, even though the bird is now thought to be extinct.