moa

[ moh-uh ]

/ ˈmoʊ ə /

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noun

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.

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Origin of moa

Borrowed into English from Maori around 1810–20

Words nearby moa

Mnesicles, mngr., M.N.S., M.Nurs., mo, moa, Moab, Moabite, Moabite Stone, moa hunter, moai

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

How to use moa in a sentence

When humans hunted moas to extinction about 800 years ago, the Haast’s eagle died out as well.
This 30-pound eagle would take down 400-pound prey and dig through their organs|Margo Milanowski|December 3, 2021|Popular-Science
It was a regular mill—the gizzard of a Moa—full of pebbles as big as hickory nuts.
The Adventures of a Grain of Dust|Hallam Hawksworth
Mr. Mantell is of opinion that the Moa and his congeners continued in existence long after the advent of the aboriginal Maori.
Mythical Monsters|Charles Gould
The moa and dinoris were both gone; there were few insects, and no reptiles.
Greater Britain|Charles Wentworth Dilke

On one occasion he took three of our officers to Moa, a native town situated near the south-east extremity of the island.
Cruise of the 'Alert'|R. W. Coppinger
This and the following are the two smallest species of Moa, having been about the size of a large turkey.
Extinct Birds|Walter Rothschild

British Dictionary definitions for moa

moa

/ (ˈməʊə) /

noun

any large flightless bird of the recently extinct order Dinornithiformes of New ZealandSee ratite

Word Origin for moa

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