weka

[ wey-kuh, wee- ]

/ ˈweɪ kə, ˈwi- /

Save This Word!

noun

any of several large, flightless New Zealand rails of the genus Gallirallus.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of weka

Borrowed into English from Maori around 1835–45

Words nearby weka

Weisshorn, Weissmuller, Weizmann, Weizsäcker, wejack, weka, welch, Welchman, welcome, welcome mat, Welcome Wagon

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

How to use weka in a sentence

Soon there will be a rustle, then a rush, and another furious weka will attack the decoy.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
He now had a collection of eggs of all birds which nest on the island, with the exception of the weka and the tern.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
I looked round, and there was a weka bent on thoroughly investigating the intruder into its domain.
Station Life in New Zealand|Lady Barker
Brisk, too, blundered after them, but I had no fear of his destroying the charm of the day by taking even a weka's life.
Station Amusements|Lady Barker

During the day these blankets were always hung outside on a tree, out of the reach of the most investigating weka.
Station Amusements|Lady Barker

British Dictionary definitions for weka

weka

/ (ˈweɪkə, ˈwiːkə) /

noun

any flightless New Zealand rail of the genus Gallirallus, having a mottled brown plumage and rudimentary wingsAlso: Māori hen, wood hen

Word Origin for weka

C19: from Māori, of imitative origin

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