weka
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of weka
Borrowed into English from Maori around 1835–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An iconic large flightless bird, the weka is famous for its feisty and curious personality.
From BBC • Jul. 23, 2024
The bird, a weka, has become extinct over large parts of New Zealand- and is a fully protected species.
From BBC • Jul. 23, 2024
When we went ashore one afternoon to talk about changing the crews, a flightless bird called a weka wandered out of the woods and started foraging on the beach.
From Washington Post • Mar. 22, 2018
The weka, or wood-hen, with rudimentary wings like tufts of brown feathers, whose odd, inquisitive ways introduce it so constantly to the shepherd and bushman, at first preyed upon the young rabbits and throve.
From The Long White Cloud by Reeves, William Pember
When startled or hunted, the weka glides, for it can scarcely be called running, with incredible swiftness and in perfect silence, to the nearest cover.
From Station Amusements in New Zealand by Barker, Lady (Mary Anne)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
