lorikeet

[ lawr-i-keet, lor-, lawr-uh-keet, lor- ]

/ ˈlɔr ɪˌkit, ˈlɒr-, ˌlɔr əˈkit, ˌlɒr- /

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noun

any of various small lories.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of lorikeet

First recorded in 1765–75; lory + (para)keet

Words nearby lorikeet

lorgnette, lorgnon, lorica, loricate, Lorient, lorikeet, lorimer, Lorin, Loring, loris, lorn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lorikeet in a sentence

In one hand he held his rejected coin; in the other the lorikeet's cage and a few trifles wrapped with a kerchief.
Where the Pavement Ends|John Russell
He snatched up the lorikeet and flung it down and as the tiny thing flapped and screamed, broken-winged, stamped it underfoot.
Where the Pavement Ends|John Russell
It has been already mentioned that the gorgeous Blue Mountain Lorikeet was very difficult to discern in its native sugar-gums.
An Australian Bird Book|John Albert Leach
The only kinds known were the ring-necked lory and the common red and green lorikeet, both common at Amboyna.
The Malay Archipelago|Alfred Russell Wallace

On our way I had shot the fine white-headed pigeon, Ptilonopus cinctus, and the pretty little lorikeet, Trichoglossus euteles.
The Malay Archipelago|Alfred Russell Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for lorikeet

lorikeet

/ (ˈlɒrɪˌkiːt, ˌlɒrɪˈkiːt) /

noun

any of various small lories, such as Glossopsitta versicolor (varied lorikeet) or Trichoglossus moluccanus (rainbow lorikeet)

Word Origin for lorikeet

C18: from lory + -keet, as in parakeet

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