tui

[too-ee]

noun

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.

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 of tui

Not only was Tui Tulifau every inch a king, but he was every second a king.
A Son Of The Sun
Jack London
Tui Tulifau is down at the boat house broaching a case of my Scotch.
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.
Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times
John Stewart Milne
Soldiers when going to war call on Tui for help, and they like to begin a battle on Tuesday.
Dramatic Reader for Lower Grades
Florence Holbrook

British Dictionary definitions for tui

tui

noun plural tuis

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

Word Origin for tui

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