Kakariki
/ˌkɑːkəˈriːki/noun
A small New Zealand parakeet, especially one of the green or yellow-crowned species of the genus Cyanoramphus.
Did you know?In Māori, kākāriki primarily means “green,” while the English bird name comes from that color word rather than from a separate occult or supernatural tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*kākāriki
“Green; the reconstructed ancestral form associated with the later Māori color term.”
Early Māori
Māori
kākāriki
“Green, referring to a vivid green color.”
Māori usage
Māori
kākāriki
“A green parakeet, named for its characteristic plumage.”
19th Century
English
kakariki
“A New Zealand parakeet; an English borrowing from Māori.”
Modern English
English
kakariki
“A New Zealand parakeet, commonly referring to green- or yellow-crowned Cyanoramphus species.”
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