galah

[ guh-lah ]

noun

1. an Australian cockatoo, Kakatoe roseicapilla, having rose-colored underparts.
2. Australian. a fool.

galah

/ ɡəˈlɑː /

noun

1. an Australian cockatoo, Kakatoe roseicapilla, having grey wings, back, and crest and a pink body
2. slang.
   a fool or simpleton

Word History and Origins

Origin of galah¹

First recorded in 1885–90; from Yuwaalaraay (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken near Lightning Ridge, northern New South Wales) gilā

Word History and Origins

Origin of galah¹

C19: from a native Australian language

Example Sentences

Drama also erupted on the final day of round one voting after a nail-biting three-way tussle between the wedge-tailed eagle, the galah and the willie wagtail came down to a handful of write-in votes.

From The Guardian

With three hours left in the first round, a huge surge for both the eagle and galah meant the wagtail, in ninth, was suddenly at risk of dropping out of the top 10 altogether.

From The Guardian

In the end, the galah missed out by only four votes.

From The Guardian

Theory is selling a fleece hoodie in “galah,” which, as any amateur birder knows, is a pinky-gray-breasted cockatoo native to Australia.

From Wall Street Journal

The aging 8-meter statue, of a local species of cockatoo called the galah, marks a roughly midway point between the eastern and western coasts of Australia.

From New York Times