ara
ara Lexical Profile
• noun
A genus of large, colorful Neotropical parrots native to Central and South America, commonly known as macaws, characterized by long tails, large curved beaks, and mostly unfeathered facial patches.
"Ornithologists traveled deep into the Amazon rainforest to observe the nesting behaviors of the ara."
A small constellation located in the southern sky between Scorpius and Triangulum Australe, traditionally representing an altar in ancient Greek mythology.
"From our vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere, the stars of Ara were clearly visible just below the tail of the scorpion."
• Rhymes for ara
Word Origin & Etymology
Derives from two entirely distinct sources: the bird genus name comes from the Tupi word 'ara', meaning 'macaw' (likely imitative of its call), while the constellation name comes directly from Latin 'ara', meaning 'altar'.