kowhai

[ koh-wahy ]

/ ˈkoʊ waɪ /

noun

a New Zealand tree, Sophora tetraptera, of the legume family, having clusters of golden-yellow flowers.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of kowhai

First recorded in 1825–35, kowhai is from the Maori word kō(w)hai

Words nearby kowhai

kovno, kovrov, kováč, kowaiti, koweit, kowhai, kowhaiwhai, kowloon, kowtow, koyukon, kozani

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for kowhai

kowhai

/ (ˈkəʊwaɪ, ˈkəʊfaɪ) /

noun

NZ a small leguminous tree, Sophora tetraptera, of New Zealand and Chile, with clusters of yellow flowers

Word Origin for kowhai

C19: from 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