Etymologically
Log in

kiwi

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:33. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

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]
  • 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