kiwi

[ kee-wee ]

noun

, plural ki·wis.

1. any of several flightless, ratite birds of the genus Apteryx, of New Zealand, allied to the extinct moas.
2. Also called Chinese gooseberry. the egg-sized, edible berry of the Chinese gooseberry, having fuzzy brownish skin and slightly tart green flesh.
3. Slang.
   1. a member of an air service, as in World War I, who is confined to ground duty.
   2. a former pilot or member of a flight crew.
4. Informal. a New Zealander.

kiwi

/ ˈkiːwiː /

noun

1. any nocturnal flightless New Zealand bird of the genus Apteryx, having a long beak, stout legs, and weakly barbed feathers: order Apterygiformes See ratite
2. short for kiwi fruit
3. informal.
   a New Zealander

Word History and Origins

Origin of kiwi¹

Borrowed into English from Maori around 1825–35

Word History and Origins

Origin of kiwi¹

C19: from Māori, of imitative origin

Example Sentences

On Sunday, he picks double the number of kiwis he did on Friday, but five of them were a bit smaller than average.

From Los Angeles Times

"I don't think any of us expected it to be the next kiwi at Kroger," said Kirk Pomper, a horticulturist and research lead of Kentucky State University's pawpaw research program.

From Salon

This possesses herbal and nutty tones on the palate alongside a good concentration of gooseberry and kiwi fruit flavors — nice texture.

From Seattle Times

Capturing a kiwi is more challenging than I expected.

From New York Times

Their pollen can cross-react with fruit and vegetables, including kiwi, banana, mango, avocado, grapes, celery, carrot and potato, and some herbs such as caraway, coriander, fennel, pepper and paprika.

From Salon