macaw palm

Macaw \Ma*caw"\, n. [From the native name in the Antilles.]
   (Zool.)
   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}.
   [1913 Webster +PJC]
   [1913 Webster]

   {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}.
      [1913 Webster]