loerie, noun

/ˈluːri//ˈlʊəri/
Forms:
louri, lourieShow more Also louri, lourie, and (formerly) laurie, loeri, loorie, lori, lorie, lorrie, lory, lowry, luri, lurie.
Origin:
Afrikaans, South African Dutch, Dutch, MalayShow more Afrikaans, from South African Dutch, from Dutch lori, adaptation of Malay luri (dialectal form of nuri parrot).
1.
a. Any of several species of touraco, birds of the Musophagidae which are characterized by their prominent crests and often brilliant plumage. Also attributive.
Note:
Ornithologists now prefer the anglicized spelling ‘lourie’, but general usage tends to follow the Afrikaans form ‘loerie’. (In British English the form ‘lory’ is commonly used.)
1776 F. Masson in Phil. Trans. of Royal Soc. LXVI. 294At night we came to Lory’s River, so called from a species of parrot, which is found here.
1790 W. Paterson Narr. of Four Journeys 81The Lorie River derives its name from a species of that bird, which is found in the woods on its banks.
1804 R. Percival Acct of Cape of G.H. 168Besides the common lowries there is a species peculiar to the Cape.
1812 A. Plumptre tr. of H. Lichtenstein’s Trav. in Sn Afr. (1928) I. 195The cuculus persa, a beautiful bird, called by the colonists loeri or luri. It has brilliant green feathers, with scarlet wings, a green crown tipped with red, and a red bill.
1850 J.S. Christopher Natal 33The beautiful and soft-voiced loerie, the golden cuckoo, the green pigeon..and many others too numerous to particularise.
1853 F.P. Fleming Kaffraria 73Another local misnomer is that of the Lory of the Amatola, whose short, high, compressed beak, raised crest, and rounded, short wing, but long fan-like tail, all of a dark purple green, and crimson and violet quills, at once claim for it the genus of Corythaix, or Touraco.
1860 A.W. Drayson Sporting Scenes 59Many birds, brilliantly adorned, frequented the forests, amongst which the golden cuckoo and the lowry were conspicuous.
1862 ‘A Lady’ Life at Cape (1963) 107He was kind enough..to give me the lovely ‘lourie’ wing, which he tells me is obtained from a rare bird in the Knysna forests...When flying in the sun, they glitter all over like burnished metal with the lustrous green and deep claret hues of their feathers.
1893 Brown’s S. Afr. 162The slopes are densely wooded and afford shelter to many beautiful birds, foremost among which is the lori, a large bird of the parrot tribe with green and red plumage.
1907 W.C. Scully By Veldt & Kopje 46The red-winged, green-crested lories flitted with noiseless undulations from tree to tree or waked strident echoes with their hoarse-throated calls.
1923 Haagner & Ivy Sketches of S. Afr. Bird-Life 182The family Musophagidae (Plaintain [sic]Eaters) contains some of the handsomest birds in South Africa, the best known of which is the Knysna Plaintain Eater or Common Lourie.
1940 A. Roberts Birds of S. Afr. 135The Louries or Touracoes are peculiar to Africa and their relationship to other birds is not quite clear, though they are placed between the Parrots and Cuckoos by most authorities.
1968 G. Croudace Black Rose 88‘Go’way, go’way.’ The sudden alarm call of the lourie startled her.
1981 P. Ginn Birds Afield 75We have three species of loerie in southern Africa...They all have harsh calls which are distinctive.
1988 M. Stansfield in Weekend Argus 1 Oct. 22Loeries? Best-tasting bird in the bush — ’course we aren’t allowed to catch them for food anymore.
1991 Settler Vol.65 No.1, 3Except for festival wear, leopard skin is reserved for chiefs as are the red feathers of the loerie bird.
b. With distinguishing epithet, denoting a particular species of the Musophagidae:
grey loerie, the bushveld bird Corythaixoides concolor, unusual in its plain grey colouring and strident warning cry; go-away sense 1; kwêvoël;
Knysna loerie, the forest bird Tauraco corythaix, distinguished by its predominantly green plumage and white-tipped crest;
purple-crested loerie, the tropical bird Tauraco porphyreolophus, distinguished by its purple crest, black bill, and the lengthy sequence of its call. See also bush lory, vlei loerie (vlei sense 2).
1881grey loerie: [see go-away sense 1].
1928 E.H.L. Schwarz Kalahari & its Native Races 66There is the grey lorrie, who looks at you and utters a querulous ‘Why?’
1933 J. Juta Look Out for Ostriches 154From the denser thickets..the Grey Lourie kept uttering its cry of ‘Go away, go away.’
1948 A.C. White Call of Bushveld 257The grey lourie is probably spoken of more often by visitors to the bushveld than any other bird. This is due to their persistent ordering of human beings from their own domain.
1951 T.V. Bulpin Lost Trails of Low Veld 268Among the less co-operative birds, or perhaps just one that understands the human being, is Nkwenyane, the Grey Lourie, with his harshly unmistakeable cry of ‘go away.’
1967 E. Rosenthal Encycl. of Sn Afr. 323The Grey Lourie (Go-Away Bird) of bush country gives a warning cry when disturbed by hunters, and is seen in small groups.
1987 D. Kenmuir Tusks & Talisman 60A grey lourie landed in a nearby tree and called out harshly, ‘Go way, go way!’
1993 S. Gray in Weekly Mail & Guardian 5 Nov. 48Penetrate past the jacarandas a few yards and the Grey Loeries hurl abuse.
1940 A. Roberts Birds of S. Afr. 137Knysna Lourie...This species is restricted to South Africa, occuring only in the evergreen forests of Knysna eastwards to Natal.
1976 West & Morris Abantu 66 (caption)The dancers are joined by the royal princesses who are distinguished by the vivid red feathers of the Knysna Loerie worn in their hair.
1986 Fair Lady 30 Apr. 24For bird watchers, there’s abundant bird-life including the famed Knysna loerie which flashes green and crimson through the trees.
1990 Evening Post 2 Feb. 5You may see the unforgettable scarlet brilliance of a Knysna loerie.
1908 Haagner & Ivy Sketches of S. Afr. Bird-Life 109 (Pettman)The Purple-crested Lourie (Gallirex porphyreolophus) is the commoner species in the Northern Transvaal, ranging from Natal to the Zambesi along the Eastern Line. It has the top of the head and crest glossy purple.
1980 A. Paton Towards Mountain 5The purple-crested loerie. When it is in flight, in its colours of red, green and purple, it is one of the most beautiful sights in nature.
1986 J. Conyngham Arrowing of Cane 120Colour-flashes in an umdoni announce a purple-crested loerie which hops through the branches, eyeing me quizzically.
1992 T. Van Rensburg in S. Afr. Panorama Mar.–Apr. 8The subtropical and coastal areas show off Knysna and purple-crested louries and green pigeons.
2. transferred sense. Always with initial capital. The name of the major award presented by the local advertising industry. Usually in the plural.
1991 Sunday Times 9 June 7South Africa’s premier advertising awards, the Loeries, will be presented at a glittering ceremony in Sun City’s Superbowl tomorrow.
1993 Daily News 14 Jan. 6 (advt)For all those advertising creatives who still think local is not ‘lekker’, a reminder that winners of Silver Quills invariably go on to land Loeries and other international awards.
1993 Weekly Mail 4 June 14June is major award time in the advertising industry. Our own Loeries take place on June 11.
Any of several species of touraco, birds of the Musophagidae which are characterized by their prominent crests and often brilliant plumage. Also attributive.
Always with initial capital.The name of the major award presented by the local advertising industry. Usually in the plural.
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locust-eater, nounn.lokaas, nounn.
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