- Macaw tree
- Macaw Ma*caw", n. [From the native name in the Antilles.]
(Zo["o]l.)
Any parrot of the genus {Ara}, {Sittace}, or {Macrocercus}.
About eighteen species are known, all of them found in
Central and South America. They are large and have a very
long tail, a strong hooked bill, and a naked space around the
eyes. The voice is harsh, and the colors are brilliant and
strongly contrasted; they are among the largest and showiest
of parrots. Different species names have been given to the
same macaw, as for example the {Hyacinthine macaw}, which has
been variously classified as {Anodorhyncus hyacynthinus},
{Anodorhyncus maximiliani}, and {Macrocercus hyacynthinus}.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
[1913 Webster]
{Macaw bush} (Bot.), a West Indian name for a prickly kind of nightshade ({Solanum mammosum}).
{Macaw palm}, {Macaw tree} (Bot.), a tropical American palm ({Acrocomia fusiformis} and other species) having a prickly stem and pinnately divided leaves. Its nut yields a yellow butter, with the perfume of violets, which is used in making violet soap. Called also {grugru palm}. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.