kiwi

[kee-wee]

noun, plural ki·wis.

any of several flightless, ratite birds of the genus Apteryx, of New Zealand, allied to the extinct moas.

Also called Chinese gooseberry. the egg-sized, edible berry of the Chinese gooseberry, having fuzzy brownish skin and slightly tart green flesh.

Slang.

a member of an air service, as in World War I, who is confined to ground duty.
a former pilot or member of a flight crew.

Informal. a New Zealander.

Origin of kiwi

Borrowed into English from Maori around 1825–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kiwi

On Monday, the Kiwi singer announced a new collaboration with MAC Cosmetics.
Lorde Announces MAC Collaboration; ‘Vamp’ Magazine Puts Women on Top|The Fashion Beast Team|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Dmitri visited, he would act as a megaphone, relaying to his mother what her ears could not catch of my Kiwi accent.
Remembering Dmitri Nabokov, the Novelist’s Son and Literary Executor|Brian Boyd|May 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
First Kiwi, the 17-year-old son, departs to land a job working in the World of Darkness theme park.
Great Weekend Reads|The Daily Beast|February 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
We now come to the era of Kiwi Tamaki, the last, and undoubtedly the most notorious, of the olden Tamaki chiefs.
The City of Auckland|John Barr

Their remains are found in abundance, but the kiwi is the last species now living.
Wealth of the World's Waste Places and Oceania |Jewett Castello Gilson
Kiwi then advanced, and met a Kaipara war party coming overland, at Titirangi.
The City of Auckland|John Barr
The "kiwi" is about the size of a small turkey, and, like the ostrich, has not the power of flying.
Celebrated Travels and Travellers|Jules Verne
Like the kea bird and the kiwi, he is in a class by himself—the most remarkable fish in the world.
Seven Legs Across the Seas|Samuel Murray

British Dictionary definitions for kiwi

kiwi

noun plural kiwis

any nocturnal flightless New Zealand bird of the genus Apteryx, having a long beak, stout legs, and weakly barbed feathers: order ApterygiformesSee ratite

short for kiwi fruit

informal a New Zealander

Word Origin for kiwi

C19: from Māori, of imitative origin

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

Word Origin and History for kiwi

kiwi

type of flightless bird, 1835, from Maori kiwi, said to be of imitative origin. As slang for "a New Zealander," it is attested from 1918. The kiwi fruit (Actinia chinesis), was so called in U.S. from c.1966 when it was imported there, but it is known in New Zealand as Chinese gooseberry (1925).

kiwi

noun, plural ki·wis.

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Origin of kiwi

Examples from the Web for kiwi

kiwi

noun plural kiwis

Word Origin for kiwi

kiwi