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que·le·a

(kwēlē-ə)

Any of several African weaverbirds of the genus Quelea, especially Q. quelea, a small red-billed bird that is destructive to grain crops.

[New Latin Quelea, genus name, perhaps alteration of Medieval Latin qualea, quail, ultimately from Vulgar Latin *coacula, of imitative origin.]

(click for a larger image)

quelea

male red-billed quelea

Quelea quelea

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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