New Zealand Honeyeater
/ˌnjuː ˈziː.lənd ˈhʌn.iˌiː.tər/noun
A historical or descriptive English name for a New Zealand nectar-feeding honeyeater bird.
Did you know?The “honeyeater” label refers to feeding behavior, while New Zealand’s name was given by Dutch explorers after Zeeland, meaning “sea-land.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*newos
“new or fresh”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hunangą
“honey, the sweet substance made by bees”
Old English
Old English
ētan
“to eat or consume”
1642
Dutch
Nieuw Zeeland
“New Zeeland, named by Abel Tasman after the Dutch province of Zeeland, literally “sea-land””
17th–18th Century
English
New Zealand
“The English form of the Dutch place-name”
19th Century
English
honeyeater
“A bird that feeds on honey or nectar; a compound of honey and eater”
Modern English
English
New Zealand honeyeater
“A descriptive or historical bird name referring to a honeyeater associated with New Zealand”