moa

[moh-uh]

noun

1. any of several flightless birds of the family Dinornithidae, of New Zealand, related to the kiwis but resembling the ostrich: extinct since about the end of the 18th century.

moa

/ ˈməʊə /

noun

1. any large flightless bird of the recently extinct order Dinornithiformes of New Zealand See ratite

Word History and Origins

Origin of moa¹

Borrowed into English from Maori around 1810–20

Word History and Origins

Origin of moa¹

C19: from Māori

Example Sentences

The absence of terrestrial predators allowed flightless parrots, kiwis and moas to thrive.

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That has left the surplus native moa, forgotten, free to flourish.

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So far, scientists have sequenced the genomes of about 20 extinct species, including a cave bear, passenger pigeon, and several types of mammoths and moas.

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The researchers say these results suggest the Haast’s eagle killed moa and then ate their guts.

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What’s particularly strange is that one of the terms that triggered deletion, “wu moa,” a derogatory term for users paid to defend CCP policies online, isn’t even censored in China.

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