Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

quelea

noun
que·​lea | \ˈkwēlēə\

Definition of quelea 

1 capitalized : a genus of African weaverbirds

2 plural -s : any bird of the genus Quelea especially : a red-billed bird (Q. quelea) often kept as a cage bird

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

History and Etymology for quelea

New Latin, probably from a native name in Africa

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about quelea

Dictionary Entries near quelea

queet

Quekchi

quelch

quelea

quelite

quell

quellable

Statistics for quelea

Look-up Popularity

Comments on quelea

What made you want to look up quelea? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

susurrous

full of whispering sounds

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Difficult Vocab Quiz

  • the-education-of-achilles-eugne-delacroix
  • Which is a synonym of discomfit?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games