avadavat

American  

[av-uh-duh-vat] / ˈæv ə dəˌvæt /

Also amadavat

noun

1. a waxbill, Estrilda amandava, native to Asia, having in the male scarlet plumage with white dots on the sides and breast: raised as a cage bird.

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avadavat British  

/ ˌævədəˈvæt, ˌæmədəˈvæt /

noun

1. either of two Asian weaverbirds of the genus Estrilda, esp E. amandava, having a red plumage: often kept as cagebirds

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Etymology

Origin of avadavat

First recorded in 1770–80; earlier amaduvad, after Amidavad, a 17th century name (perhaps from Portuguese ) for Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, from where the birds were first exported

Example Sentences

Perhaps the most attractive of small foreign birds is the avadavat, a tiny, perky little soldier.

From What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes by Fisher, Dorothy Canfield