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apteryx

 - 3 dictionary results

ap⋅ter⋅yx

  [ap-tuh-riks]
Use apteryx in a Sentence
–noun
kiwi (def. 1).
Origin:
1805–15; < NL: the genus name, equiv. to Gk a- a- 6 + -pteryx, adj. use of ptéryx wing
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To apteryx
ap·ter·yx   (āp'tə-rĭks')   
n.  See kiwi.

[New Latin Apteryx, genus name : a-1 + Greek pterux, wing; see pet- in Indo-European roots.]
ki·wi   (kē'wē)   
n.   pl. ki·wis

  1. Any of several flightless birds of the genus Apteryx native to New Zealand, having vestigial wings and a long slender bill. Also called apteryx.

  2. Informal A New Zealander.

  3. A kiwifruit.


[Maori, imitative of the call of male kiwis. Sense 3, short for kiwifruit.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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