an edible abalone, Haliotis iris, of New Zealand, having an iridescent shell used esp for jewellery
Word origin
from Māori
paua in American English
(ˈpauə)
noun
a large, edible abalone of New Zealand, Haliotis iris, the shell of which is used in making jewelry
Word origin
[1810–20; ‹ Maori]This word is first recorded in the period 1810–20. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: duplex, liberalism, nihilism, realism, unitary