\Ma*caw"\, n. [From the native name in the Antilles.]
(Zo["o]l.)
Any parrot of the genus {Sittace}, or {Macrocercus}. About
eighteen species are known, all of them American. 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.





{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}.