Search Dictionary
Definition of moa
moa
/ˈmoʊ.ə/
mo · a
Plural:moas
moa Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
8
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
moa Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
New Zealand Any of several species of large, extinct, flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, belonging to the order Dinornithiformes, which lacked even vestigial wings and were hunted to extinction by early Polynesian settlers.
Example
"Paleontologists recently uncovered a remarkably well-preserved skeleton of a giant moa in a cave system on New Zealand's South Island."
• Rhymes for moa
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Māori 'moa', originally used to describe these extinct flightless birds, and cognate with widespread Polynesian words for 'fowl' or 'chicken' (such as Hawaiian 'moa').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Moa. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/moa