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Ratite

//ˈɹætaɪt// adj, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Pertaining to running, flightless birds with no keels on their sternums (as opposed to carinate). not-comparable

    "Against what was probably the general expectation, it became undeniable that New Zealand was indeed the home of huge ratite birds."

Noun
  1. 1
    A member of a diverse group of mostly large, running, flightless birds that lack keels on their sternums, mostly extinct such as the elephant bird and moa, but including the extant cassowaries, emu, kiwi, ostrich, and rhea; formerly grouped together in the order Struthioniformes, and including the Paleognathae except the tinamous.
  2. 2
    flightless birds having flat breastbones lacking a keel for attachment of flight muscles: ostriches, cassowaries, emus, moas, rheas, kiwis, elephant birds wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Latin ratis (“raft”) + -ite; ratites (unlike other birds) lack a keel on their sternum, and rafts are vessels that lack keels.

Etymology 2

From Latin ratis (“raft”) + -ite; ratites (unlike other birds) lack a keel on their sternum, and rafts are vessels that lack keels.

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