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roc

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roc

[rok]
–noun Arabian Mythology.
a bird of enormous size and strength.

Origin:
1570–80; < Ar rukhkh, prob. < Pers rukh; see rook 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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roc   (rŏk)   
n.  A mythical bird of prey having enormous size and strength.

[Arabic ruḫḫ.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

roc 
large, ferocious bird of fable, 1579, from Arabic rukhkh, from Pers. rukh. Mentioned in Marco Polo's account of Madagascar, modern use is mostly from "Arabian Nights."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
ROC
  1. Greater Rochester [NY] International Airport

  2. Republic of China (Taiwan)

  3. rest of Canada (other than Quebec)

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

roc

gigantic legendary bird, said to carry off elephants and other large beasts for food. It is mentioned in the famous collection of Arabic tales, The Thousand and One Nights, and by the Venetian traveler Marco Polo, who referred to it in describing Madagascar and other islands off the coast of eastern Africa. According to Marco Polo, Kublai Khan inquired in those parts about the roc and was brought what was claimed to be a roc's feather, which may really have been a Raphia palm frond.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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