lorikeet
(lɒrɪˈkiːt)
Also 8 loriquet, loorequet, lorrykeet.
[f. lory + -keet in parrakeet.]
A name for small brightly-coloured parrots of the Malay Archipelago, comprehending the genera Charmosyna, Loriculus, and Coriphilus.
| 1772–84 Cook Voy. (1790) I. 217 Loriquets, cockatoos, parrots. 1779 Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 66 He presented me with a Loorequet of beautiful plumage, mostly green and yellow. 1869 A. R. Wallace Malay Archip. II. 42 The little lorikeet (Charmosyna placentis). |