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rosella

rosella

7.4
A colorful parrot from Australia often kept as a pet
  • noun
  • /roʊˈzɛlə/
  • Australian
translation icon : rosela
  • In Australia, the rosella showcases its vibrant colors as it flits through the trees.

Examples

  • The pet shop had a beautiful rosella that caught the attention of many visitors.

  • She showed visitors how to make bush-devils; she pointed out wallaby dens, rosella nests, and places where the aborigines once walked.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • He could also rapidly point out every animal in a book of 32 animals, from rosella to budgerigar to crocodile.

    Academic text (2003)
  • When she saw a rosella perched on a branch, she quickly reached for her camera to capture the moment.

Synonyms

parrot
vsrosella
79 1.0

A brightly colored tropical bird with a short hooked beak that can copy human speech

refers to a single Australian species often kept as pet or seen wild

Surface Forms

rosella singular
rosellas plural

Morphology

rosella = rose (semi-transparent) = rose + ella

The form appears to be built from 'rose' plus a diminutive-style ending, but the specific parrot meaning is not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Rosella for the parrot probably comes from a word like rose, which means 'a red flower', because the bird has bright red and rosy feathers. So the name helps you remember the parrot's rose-like colours.