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Glite Dictionary
weta

weta

1 9.8
A large insect like a cricket from New Zealand with a heavy body and long legs
  • noun
  • /ˈwɛtə/
  • New Zealand
: weta
  • The special effects are being taken care of by visual effects powerhouse Weta Digital, which also handled the majority of effects for Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Examples

  • When I saw my first weta bug, I thought it was a cat.

    The Stolen (2017)

  • - What's a weta bug?

    The Stolen (2017)

  • I really enjoyed working with Richard Taylor and all the people at the Weta Workshop because they, like Bob Anderson, were sticklers for detail.

    Reclaiming the Blade (2009)

  • Eventually, other companies, including Weta Digital, a New Zealand company co-owned by the filmmaker Peter Jackson, rose to prominence in that field.

    Blog text (29)

  • Richter is a career journalist, having served as a senior television news producer at ABC News, CBS News, and the Washington PBS station, WETA.

    Academic text (2000)

  • But we are 75% there, and with a couple more years of investment by Disney, partnering with WETA, I bet we could be there in 2015 in time for the new Star Wars trilogy.

    Blog text (2)

  • Weta Workshop even made a working 'Portal' sentry turret, proving that a special effects company can translate the game's futuristic tech into working props.

    Blog text (24)

  • The weta is a large, cricket-like insect that can be found lurking in the underbrush of New Zealand.

  • While hiking in New Zealand, I spotted a weta resting on a tree branch during the day.

  • The weta's heavy body and long legs make it one of the most distinctive insects in New Zealand.

Surface Forms

weta singular
wetas plural

Etymology

The word weta comes from the Māori name wētā, the local word for a large, 'cricket-like' insect in New Zealand, and it entered English much like the bird name kiwi. So, weta now means that heavy, long-legged insect native to New Zealand.