mia-mia

[ mahy-uh-mahy-uh ]

/ ˈmaɪ əˌmaɪ ə /

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noun

a temporary, hutlike shelter built by Aboriginal tribes in Australia.

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Origin of mia-mia

First recorded in 1835–45; from Ganay or Kurnai (Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in Gippsland, Victoria), recorded as mai-mai “camp, hut”

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

How to use mia-mia in a sentence

This evening I camped very comfortably in a mia-mia, about eleven miles from the depot.
Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia|William John Wills
No blacks, greatly to our disappointment; took possession of their best mia-mia and rested for the remainder of the day.
Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia|William John Wills
I feel much weaker than ever and can scarcely crawl out of the mia-mia.
Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia|William John Wills
Wills had at last suddenly collapsed, and could only lie in the mia-mia, and philosophically contemplate the situation.
The Red True Story Book|Various

The explorers took possession of the best mia-mia and rested.
Australian Heroes and Adventurers|William Pyke

British Dictionary definitions for mia-mia

mia mia

/ (ˈmiːə ˈmiːə) /

noun

a native Australian's hut

Word Origin for mia mia

from a native Australian language

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