mia-mia
noun
a temporary, hutlike shelter built by Aboriginal tribes in Australia.
mia-mia
American
[mahy-uh-mahy-uh]
/ ˈmaɪ əˌmaɪ ə /
noun
mia mia
British
/ ˈmiːə ˈmiːə /
noun
Etymology
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”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I feel much weaker than ever and can scarcely crawl out of the mia-mia.
From Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia by William John Wills
On again next morning to another of the native camps; but, finding it empty, the wanderers took possession of the best mia-mia, and Wills and King were sent out to collect nardoo.
From The Red True Story Book by H. J. (Henry Justice) Ford
But the devil-devil came and sat down by King Jimmie's side one night, so he, too, moved out across the Old Man border, and the mia-mia rotted into the ground and the grass grew there.
From Over the Sliprails by Henry Lawson
I am so weak as to be incapable of crawling out of the mia-mia.
From Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia by William John Wills
This evening I camped very comfortably in a mia-mia, about eleven miles from the depot.
From Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia by William John Wills
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
