Audio Help [aw-strich, os-trich] Pronunciation Key | 1. | a large, two-toed, swift-footed flightless bird, Struthio camelus, indigenous to Africa and Arabia, domesticated for its plumage: the largest of living birds. |
| 2. | (not used scientifically) a rhea. |
| 3. | a person who attempts to ignore unpleasant facts or situations. |
] —Related forms
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Ostrich
To learn more about Ostrich visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| os·trich
Audio Help (ŏs'trĭch, ôs'-) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. ostrich or os·trich·es
[Middle English, from Old French ostrusce, ostrice and Medieval Latin ostrica, both from Vulgar Latin *avis strūthiō : Latin avis, bird; see awi- in Indo-European roots + Late Latin strūthiō, ostrich; see struthious.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
ostrich
"Like the Austridge, who hiding her little head, supposeth her great body obscured." [1623]Ostriches do put their heads in the sand, but ostrich farmers say they do this in search of something to eat.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| ostrich | |
noun | |
| 1. | a person who refuses to face reality or recognize the truth (a reference to the popular notion that the ostrich hides from danger by burying its head in the sand) |
| 2. | fast-running African flightless bird with two-toed feet; largest living bird |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
ostrich [ˈostritʃ] noun
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Ostrich
Os"trich\, n. [OE. ostriche, ostrice, OF. ostruche, ostruce, F. autruche, L. avis struthio; avis bird + struthio ostrich, fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? bird, sparrow. Cf. Aviary, Struthious.] [Formerly written also estrich.] (Zo["o]l.) A large bird of the genus Struthio, of which Struthio camelus of Africa is the best known species. It has long and very strong legs, adapted for rapid running; only two toes; a long neck, nearly bare of feathers; and short wings incapable of flight. The adult male is about eight feet high. Note: The South African ostrich (Struthio australis) and the Asiatic ostrich are considered distinct species by some authors. Ostriches are now domesticated in South Africa in large numbers for the sake of their plumes. The body of the male is covered with elegant black plumose feathers, while the wings and tail furnish the most valuable white plumes. Ostrich farm, a farm on which ostriches are bred for the sake of their feathers, oil, eggs, etc. Ostrich farming, the occupation of breeding ostriches for the sake of their feathers, etc. Ostrich fern (Bot.) a kind of fern (Onoclea Struthiopteris), the tall fronds of which grow in a circle from the rootstock. It is found in alluvial soil in Europe and North America.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Ostrich
(Lam. 4:3), the rendering of Hebrew pl. enim; so called from its greediness and gluttony. The allusion here is to the habit of the ostrich with reference to its eggs, which is thus described: "The outer layer of eggs is generally so ill covered that they are destroyed in quantities by jackals, wild-cats, etc., and that the natives carry them away, only taking care not to leave the marks of their footsteps, since, when the ostrich comes and finds that her nest is discovered, she crushes the whole brood, and builds a nest elsewhere." In Job 39:13 this word in the Authorized Version is the rendering of a Hebrew word (notsah) which means "feathers," as in the Revised Version. In the same verse the word "peacocks" of the Authorized Version is the rendering of the Hebrew pl. renanim, properly meaning "ostriches," as in the Revised Version. (See OWL ØT0002815 [1].)
| Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary |
ostrich
ostrich: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary
| On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB |
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