ostrich

[ aw-strich, os-trich ]

noun

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.

ostrich

/ ˈɒstrɪtʃ /

noun

1. 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 Struthioniformes See ratite 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

Other Words From

• ostrich·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ostrich¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English ostrice, ostriche, from Old French ostrusce (compare French autruche, ) from unattested Vulgar Latin avistrūthius, for Latin avis “bird” + Late Latin strūthiō, from Late Greek strouthíōn; struthious

Word History and Origins

Origin of ostrich¹

C13: from Old French ostrice, from Latin avis bird + Late Latin struthio ostrich, from Greek strouthion

Example Sentences

Evidence suggests that the loss of flight evolved independently as many as six times, rather than just once, in the ancestors of different ratites — the group of flightless birds including the extinct moa and elephant birds as well as the ostrich, kiwi, cassowary, emu and rhea.

From Salon

The infamous Griffith J. Griffith — who in a bout of paranoia once shot his wife in the eye— all but forced the city to accept his “gift” of a dilapidated ostrich farm.

From Los Angeles Times

One ostrich has been found but he advised residents to be careful.

From BBC

“We’ve been able to recapture the ostrich seen on the street and we also got a call that a crocodile had been found in another location but we cannot get there due to the floods,” he said.

From BBC

She recently made a winged look for a queen who wanted them to be made of ostrich feathers.

From BBC