iiwi

or 'i·'i·wi

[ ee-ee-wee ]

noun

a Hawaiian honeycreeper, Vestiaria coccinea, having a red body, black wings, and a deeply curved pinkish-red bill.

Origin of iiwi

¹

First recorded1885–90; from Hawaiian ʿiʿiwi, derivative of ʿiwi “reddish;” compare earlier eeeeve (1779)

Also called scar·let hon·ey·creep·er, scar·let Ha·wai·ian hon·ey·creep·er [skahr-lit huh-wahy-uhn huhn-ee-kree-per, huh-wah-yuhn] /ˈskɑr lɪt həˈwaɪ ən ˈhʌn iˌkri pər, həˈwɑ yən/ .

Words Nearby iiwi

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

How to use iiwi in a sentence

The meles tell of their love in the Pulou ravine, where they caught the bright iiwi birds, and the scarlet apapani.
Hawaiian Folk Tales | Various
Sometimes the iiwi (a small red bird) fluttered in the air and uttered its shrill, happy song, and Maui saw and heard.
Legends of Ma-ui--a demi god of Polynesia, and of his mother Hina | W. D. Westervelt

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