huia

H4U1I1A1
/ˈhuːjə/

noun

A wattlebird (†Heteralocha acutirostris), endemic to New Zealand's North Island but extinct since the early twentieth century.

OriginMāori huia →
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

nounhuia (plural huias or huia)

plural huias

  1. A wattlebird (†Heteralocha acutirostris), endemic to New Zealand's North Island but extinct since the early twentieth century.

    Other birds, such as the emblematically distinctive huia and the laughing owl, followed soon after.

    2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 185

Origin

  1. Māorihuia
  2. Māorihuia
  3. Englishhuia

Borrowed from Māori huia.

More words from Māori

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Huai
Cite this entry
APA

huia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/huia

MLA

“huia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/huia. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “huia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/huia.

Source: huia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.