moa

[ moh-uh ]

noun

1. any of several flightless birds of the family Dinornithidae, of New Zealand, related to the kiwis but resembling the ostrich: extinct since about the end of the 18th century.

moa

/ ˈməʊə /

noun

1. any large flightless bird of the recently extinct order Dinornithiformes of New Zealand See ratite

Word History and Origins

Origin of moa¹

Borrowed into English from Maori around 1810–20

Word History and Origins

Origin of moa¹

C19: from Māori

Example Sentences

Evidence suggests that the loss of flight evolved independently as many as six times, rather than just once, in the ancestors of different ratites — the group of flightless birds including the extinct moa and elephant birds as well as the ostrich, kiwi, cassowary, emu and rhea.

From Salon

“Despite lack of a current MOA in place, the Ballard Branch continues to host and support this program” and “more online and in-person events are being planned this year,” Gentry said, adding, “At this time … there are no changes planned for this particular program.”

From Seattle Times

Stars that are much heavier than the sun and end their life as a supernova, Bennett suggests, could also provide a rich source of rogue worlds and help to explain MOA’s outsize estimates.

From Scientific American

Scott Gaudi, an astronomer and microlensing expert at the Ohio State University, thinks MOA’s surprising results are the best currently available but cautions that they remain very uncertain, so they “should be taken with a grain of salt.”

From Scientific American

If MOA’s estimates are accurate, however, the sheer number of rogue worlds raises an interesting question: Could any of them provide conditions favorable to life?

From Scientific American