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

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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

Historical Examples of kiwi

The kiwi is the latest of all the birds, but catches the most worms.
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 25, January 1893
Various
For this let us honour the kiwi, and hurl him in the face of the early risers.
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 25, January 1893
Various
They are left in a pan, and the kiwi eats them during the night.
Birds in the Calendar
Frederick G. Aflalo
Surrounded by all this Maori opulence, Kiwi grew to manhood.
The City of Auckland
John Barr
I was most interested in a native "kiwi," which I persuaded the head-keeper to find for me.
By Forest Ways in New Zealand
F. A. Roberts

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

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).