ostrich
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strɪtʃ, ˈɒs1175–1225; Middle English ostrice, ostriche < Old French ostrusce (compare French autruche) < Vulgar Latin *avistrūthius, for Latin avis bird + Late Latin strūthiō < Late Greek strouthíōn; see struthious
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
ostrich (ˈɒstrɪtʃ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -triches, -trich | |
| 1. | See ratite a fast-running flightless African bird, Struthio camelus, that is the largest living bird, with stout two-toed feet and dark feathers, except on the naked head, neck, and legs: order StruthioniformesRelated: struthious |
| 2. | American ostrich another name for rhea |
| 3. | a person who refuses to recognize the truth, reality, etc: a reference to the ostrich's supposed habit of burying its head in the sand |
| Related: struthious | |
| [C13: from Old French ostrice, from Latin avis bird + Late Latin struthio ostrich, from Greek strouthion] | |
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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.
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Ostrich definition
(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].)
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