huia

[ hoo-yuh ]

noun

an apparently extinct, crowlike bird, Heteralocha acutirostris, of New Zealand, noted for the completely different bill shapes of the male and female.

Origin of huia

First recorded in 1835–45, huia is from the Maori word hūia

Words Nearby huia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use huia in a sentence

While you are still in the act of wavering the son of the house says, "Try a little huia."
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 159, October 6, 1920 | Various
Poor huia grew into a splendid and talented youth, but was disabled by an accident while diving.
Fifty-One Years of Victorian Life | Margaret Elizabeth Leigh Child-Villiers, Countess of Jersey

British Dictionary definitions for huia

huia

/ (ˈhʊɪjə) /

noun

an extinct bird of New Zealand, Heteralocha acutirostris, prized by early Māoris for its distinctive tail feathers

Origin of huia

Māori

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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