Meaning
Any of various estrildid finches of the genus Amandava, especially the red avadavat, Amandava amandava, of India and Southeast Asia, commonly kept and bred as a cagebird; also known as Java sparrow.
Etymology
Origin: Unknown
Variant of earlier amadavat, from Ahmedabad, city in Gujarat, India, from which the bird was imported to Europe.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.