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tui

[too-ee]
noun
  1. a black New Zealand honey eater, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, having a patch of white feathers on each side of the throat, sometimes tamed as a pet.
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Origin of tui

First recorded in 1825–35, tui is from the Maori word tūī
Also called parson bird.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tui

Historical Examples

  • Tui Tulifau is down at the boat house broaching a case of my Scotch.

    A Son Of The Sun

    Jack London

  • Not only was Tui Tulifau every inch a king, but he was every second a king.

    A Son Of The Sun

    Jack London

  • Tui was listened to attentively, as he every now and then put in a word.

    Charley Laurel

    W. H. G. Kingston

  • Several of these tui have been found containing instruments.

  • Soldiers when going to war call on Tui for help, and they like to begin a battle on Tuesday.

British Dictionary definitions for tui

tui

noun plural tuis
  1. a New Zealand honeyeater, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, having a glossy bluish-green plumage with white feathers at the throat: it mimics human speech and the songs of other birds
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Word Origin

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