The Collaborative International Dictionary
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.
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.