moa

[ moh-uh ]

noun
  1. any of several flightless birds of the family Dinornithidae, of New Zealand, related to the kiwis but resembling the ostrich: extinct since about the end of the 18th century.

Origin of moa

1
Borrowed into English from Maori around 1810–20

Words Nearby moa

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How to use moa in a sentence

  • This and the following are the two smallest species of moa, having been about the size of a large turkey.

    Extinct Birds | Walter Rothschild

British Dictionary definitions for moa

moa

/ (ˈməʊə) /


noun
  1. any large flightless bird of the recently extinct order Dinornithiformes of New Zealand: See ratite

Origin of moa

1
C19: from Māori

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012