mopoke

/ (ˈməʊˌpəʊk) /

noun

Also called (NZ): ruru a small spotted owl, Ninox novaeseelandiae, of Australia and New Zealand. In Australia the tawny frogmouth, Podargus strigoides, is very often wrongly identified as the mopoke
Australian and NZ slang a slow or lugubrious person
Also called (NZ): morepork

Word Origin for mopoke

C19: imitative of the bird's cry

Words nearby mopoke

moped, mopery, mopes, mopey, mopish, mopoke, mopp, mopper-up, moppet, mopping-up, mopy

Example sentences from the Web for mopoke

  • The wind swayed gently the branches of the great she-oaks as a mopoke's mournful note came from the gum trees.

    Jean, Our Little Australian Cousin |Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

  • You'll never be missed in the dark, and I 'll light plenty of candles now, and dazzle the Mopoke.

    The Moving Finger |Mary Gaunt