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weta

British  
/ ˈwɛtə /

noun

  1. any of various wingless insects of the family Stenopelmatidae of New Zealand, with long spiny legs

"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

Etymology

Origin of weta

Māori

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The Maori intended to eat the kiore, but the rats multiplied and spread far faster than they could be consumed, along the way feasting on weta, young tuatara, and the eggs of ground-nesting birds.

From The New Yorker Dec. 15, 2014

But size and bullying strength didn’t necessarily help this weta, one of about 70 similar species.

From Scientific American Apr. 22, 2014

Some giant weta species — “very cool, prickly little monsters,” as Weta Workshop puts it — weigh in at up to 30 grams and boast bodily lengths of up to 10 centimeters.

From Scientific American Dec. 11, 2012

And yet the weta is outweighed by a larvae, the grub of the goliath beetle, which weighs in at 4.1 ounces.

From National Geographic

The tree weta is the world's heaviest adult insect; the larvae of goliath beetles are even heavier.

From National Geographic

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