macaw

[ muh-kaw ]

noun

1. any of various large, long-tailed parrots of tropical and subtropical America, noted for their brilliant plumage and distinctive light-colored facial patches: of the six macaw genera, Ara includes the most familiar and greatest number of species, while Cyanopsitta has just one species, C. spixii Spix's macaw, a small, blue macaw, now classified as possibly extinct in the wild.

macaw

/ məˈkɔː /

noun

1. any large tropical American parrot of the genera Ara and Anodorhynchus, having a long tail and brilliant plumage

Word History and Origins

Origin of macaw¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Portuguese macao, macau, probably from macaúba from Tupi macahuba, equivalent to maca “palm” + ybá “tree”

Word History and Origins

Origin of macaw¹

C17: from Portuguese macau, of unknown origin

Example Sentences

But then Death visits — literally, in the form of a talking macaw — and Zora must confront the end of everything she holds dear.

From Los Angeles Times

Last year, two Spix’s macaw chicks were born in freedom — the first ones in decades— but they didn’t survive.

From Seattle Times

Unlike depictions in the animated films “Rio” and “Rio 2,” which brought attention to the Spix’s macaw extinction threat, the parrot’s natural habitat is far from Brazil’s most famous city, Rio de Janeiro, and the Amazon rainforest.

From Seattle Times

Despite the hurdles, many residents of Curaca, even if they never have never seen a Spix’s macaw, expect them to soon return to flying over the region and not just be seen in countless paintings that made the parrot part of the city’s identity.

From Seattle Times

Known as French John, he carried away Dolley Madison’s bird, a prized macaw, and left her beloved pet safely at the French ambassador’s residence.

From Literature