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
1First 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 | VariousSometimes 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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