avadavat
[ av-uh-duh-vat ]
/ ˈæv ə dəˌvæt /
noun
a waxbill, Estrilda amandava, native to Asia, having in the male scarlet plumage with white dots on the sides and breast: raised as a cage bird.
Also
amadavat.
Origin of avadavat
1770–80; earlier
amaduvad, after
Amidavad, a 17th century name (perhaps < Portuguese) for
Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, from where the birds were first exported
Words nearby avadavat
auxotrophic,
av,
av node,
av.,
ava,
avadavat,
avail,
avail oneself of,
available,
available light,
avalanche
Example sentences from the Web for avadavat
A popular proverb says the housewife keeps the parrot, the lover keeps the avadavat, and the thief keeps pigeons.
Beast and Man in India |John Lockwood KiplingPerhaps the most attractive of small foreign birds is the avadavat, a tiny, perky little soldier.
What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes |Dorothy Canfield Fisher
British Dictionary definitions for avadavat
avadavat
amadavat (ˌæmədəˈvæt)
/ (ˌævədəˈvæt) /
noun
either of two Asian weaverbirds of the genus Estrilda, esp E. amandava, having a red plumage: often kept as cagebirds
Word Origin for avadavat
C18: from
Ahmadabad, Indian city from which these birds were brought to Europe