Ostrich
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A large flightless bird of the order Struthioniformes.
- 2 fast-running African flightless bird with two-toed feet; largest living bird wordnet
- 3 A large flightless bird of the order Struthioniformes.; The most widespread species of the genus, known as the common ostrich (Struthio camelus).
"Could a Taff'ta ſcarf, a long Eſtridge vvhing, / A ſtiffe Iron Doublet, and a Brazeel Pole / Tempt thee from Cambrick ſheets, fine active Thighs, / From Caudles vvhere the precious Amber ſvvims?"
- 4 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) wordnet
- 5 The rhea. obsolete
"The Lengua Indians of the Gran Chaco love to hunt the ostrich"
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- 6 One who buries their head in the sand instead of acknowledging problems. figuratively
- 7 The hypothetical completion of a hole five strokes under par (a quintuple birdie, quadruple eagle, triple albatross, or double condor).
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The pigeon and the ostrich are both birds; one can fly and the other cannot."
Etymology
From Middle English ostrich, ostriche, ostryche, ostrige, borrowed from Anglo-Norman ostrige and Old French ostruce, from Vulgar Latin *austruthio, from Latin avis (“bird”) + strūthiō (“ostrich”), from Ancient Greek στρουθίων (strouthíōn), or shortened from strūthiocamēlus, from Ancient Greek στρουθοκᾰ́μηλος (strouthokắmēlos), from στρουθός (strouthós, “sparrow”) + κάμηλος (kámēlos, “camel”). Compare Spanish avestruz and Portuguese avestruz.
Related phrases
More for "ostrich"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.