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whidah

[hwid-uh, wid-uh]
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noun
  1. whydah.
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whydah

or whid·ah

[hwid-uh, wid-uh]
noun
  1. any of several small African finches of the subfamily Viduinae, the males of which have elongated, drooping tail feathers during the breeding season.
  2. any of several African weaverbirds of the genus Euplectes, the males of which have similar long tails.
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Origin of whydah

1775–85; alteration of widow (bird) to make name agree with that of a town in Benin, West Africa, one of its haunts
Also called widow bird.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for whidah

whidah

noun
  1. a variant spelling of whydah
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whydah

whidah

noun
  1. any of various predominantly black African weaverbirds of the genus Vidua and related genera, the males of which grow very long tail feathers in the breeding seasonAlso called: whydah bird, whidah bird, widow bird
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Word Origin

C18: after the name of a town in Benin
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