mopoke

/ (ˈməʊˌpəʊk) /

noun

Also called (NZ): ruru a small spotted owl, Ninox novaeseelandiae, of Australia and New Zealand. In Australia the tawny frogmouth, Podargus strigoides, is very often wrongly identified as the mopoke
Australian and NZ slang a slow or lugubrious person

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also called (NZ): morepork

Word Origin for mopoke

C19: imitative of the bird's cry

Words nearby mopoke

moped, mopery, mopes, mopey, mopish, mopoke, MOPP, mopper-up, moppet, mopping-up, M.Opt.
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

Example sentences from the Web for mopoke

  • The wind swayed gently the branches of the great she-oaks as a mopoke's mournful note came from the gum trees.

    Jean, Our Little Australian Cousin|Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

  • You'll never be missed in the dark, and I 'll light plenty of candles now, and dazzle the Mopoke.

    The Moving Finger|Mary Gaunt