whio

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Maori whio.

Noun

whio (plural whios)

  1. The blue duck (Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos) of New Zealand.

Anagrams

Maori

Etymology 1

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *fio (“whistle”). Cognate with Hawaiian hio (“blow in gusts”), Tahitian hio (“whistle”).

Verb

whio (passive whiotia)

  1. to whistle
Derived terms
  • kōwhio (“whistle”, verb)

Noun

whio

  1. whistle
Derived terms
  • whiowhio

Etymology 2

From the preceding. The call of the male blue duck is a high-pitched whistle.[1]

Noun

whio

  1. blue duck
Derived terms
  • → English: whio

References

  1. ^ “Blue Duck”, in New Zealand Birds Online‎[1], 26 September 2020 (last accessed), archived from the original on 30 May 2022

Further reading

  • “whio” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.
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