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kowhai

[koh-wahy]
noun
  1. a New Zealand tree, Sophora tetraptera, of the legume family, having clusters of golden-yellow flowers.
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Origin of kowhai

First recorded in 1825–35, kowhai is from the Maori word kō(w)hai
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for kowhai

kowhai

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