kiwi

Etymology

It is borrowed from Māori kiwi,^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} a name imitative of the bird's call,^[5][4][8][9] according to the American Heritage Dictionary the call of the male.^[10] Etymonline says only that it is said to be imitative.^[3] Partridge compares the bird names kaka and kea.^[11] The fruit sense is short for kiwi fruit.^[10][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A flightless bird of New Zealand, of the genus Apteryx: 1835, in W. Yate's Account of New Zealand, which calls it "the most remarkable and curious bird in New Zealand".^[2][4][9]

Semantic evolution

The bird became a national emblem of New Zealand,^[12][6] and its name was transferred to New Zealanders, especially soldiers and later sportsmen: the OED's first record is from 1917,^[2] Etymonline and Barnhart give 1918,^[3][4] and Green's Dictionary of Slang quotes a writer signing as "Kiwi" in the Sydney Bulletin in 1902.^[13] In air-force slang of 1918 a kiwi was a member of the ground staff who did not fly.^[2] The fruit of a Chinese climbing plant, called Chinese gooseberry in New Zealand from 1925, was marketed in the United States as kiwi fruit from about 1966,^[3][4] and since 1972 kiwi alone could mean the fruit.^[2]

Timeline

• 1835 – the flightless New Zealand bird.^[2][4][5]
• 1917 – a New Zealander, especially a soldier.^[2] Etymonline and Barnhart date it 1918.^[3][4]
• 1918 – a non-flying member of an air force (slang).^[2]
• c. 1966 – kiwi fruit, in the United States.^[3][4]
• 1972 – the kiwi fruit.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A flightless, nocturnal bird of New Zealand of the genus Apteryx, with a long bill, stout legs, tiny wings and hairlike feathers.^[14][5][2]
2. (usually Kiwi, informal) A New Zealander.^[14][2][15]
3. A kiwi fruit.^[14][2]
4. (slang) A member of an air force who does not fly.^[2]

Related words

• kiwi fruit
• apteryx

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
9. ^ a b Morris, Edward E. (1898), Austral English: A Dictionary of Australasian Words, Phrases and Usages, London: Macmillan
10. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
11. ^ Partridge, Eric (1966), Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, 4th ed., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
12. ^ Deverson, Tony; Kennedy, Graeme, eds. (2005), The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary, Auckland: Oxford University Press
13. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
14. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
15. ^ Moore, Bruce, ed. (2004), The Australian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd ed., Melbourne: Oxford University Press