Kiwi Meaning
/ˈkiːwi/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA flightless bird of the order Apterygiformes native to New Zealand.
nounAlternative letter-case form of Kiwi (“a person from New Zealand”).
Sentence Examples
My uncle had a kiwi vine on his porch. The fruit was delicious.
Have you never eaten a kiwi?
Organic kiwi fruit. Feel free to help yourself.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She peeled the fuzzy brown fruit, a ____, and sliced it for the fruit salad.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ is a small flightless bird that is native to New Zealand and has a very long beak today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Māori kiwibor. English kiwi Borrowed from Māori kiwi.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And as its role grew in importance, ground commanders, or kiwis as they were called, made many mistakes in judgment […]"
— 1953, Air Force: Official Service Journal of the U.S. Army Air Forces:
"Now Rex he was a Texan out of New Orleans and he travelled with the carnival shows
He ran bumper cars, sucked cheap cigars and he candied up his nose
He got wind of the big brown beaver so he thought he'd take himself a peek
But the beaver was quick and he grabbed him by the kiwis
And he ain't pissed for a week (and a half)"
— 1995, “Wynona's Big Brown Beaver”, performed by Primus:
"Johari Salleh: Ya, ya. Better not waste time. Must prepare, tomorrow morning got inspection.
Teo Ah Beng: Ya lah, must kiwi the boots. Can borrow [lend] me your cloth?
Krishnamoorthy: Ya, no problem. You better kiwi quickly. 11 pm lights off. […]"
— 1987, Michael Chiang, Army Daze, Landmark Books, →ISBN:
"A blokart (say blow-cart) plays to the penchant that Kiwis and Aussies have for pushing the limits in search of fun. It’s a ground-hugging, tricyclelike combination of aluminum tubing and rubber wheels with a steering wheel and a sail."
— 2014 June 17, Tribune Newspapers, “Cruising Down Under”, in Chicago Tribune:
"Sadowski-Synnott scored 92.88 on her final run, landing back-to-back 1080s on a challenging course resembling the Great Wall of China.
Asked how she felt about making history as the island nation's first Winter Games gold medallist, she said it made her a "proud Kiwi"."
— 2022 February 6, Mari Saito, Winni Zhou, “Snowboarding-Proud Kiwi Sadowski-Synnott bags New Zealand's first Winter Games gold”, in Jacqueline Wong, Clare Fallon, editors, Reuters, archived from the original on 30 May 2022:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She peeled the fuzzy brown fruit, a ____, and sliced it for the fruit salad.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ is a small flightless bird that is native to New Zealand and has a very long beak today.