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kowhai

[ koh-wahy ]
/ ˈkoʊ waɪ /
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noun
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. 2023

How to use kowhai in a sentence

  • The yellow kowhai, seen on the hillsides, shows the russet tint of autumn at the height of spring-time.

    The Long White Cloud|William Pember Reeves

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
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