noun
ostrich
AH-strich/ˈɑːstrɪtʃ/
A large flightless African bird with long legs and a long neck.
The ostrich stands on powerful legs beneath its large feathered body.
Etymology
The Latin expression combined “bird” with struthio, whose Greek ancestry supplies the striking image “big sparrow.” A familiar small-bird name thus served to name this enormous flightless bird.
In context
Allegedly, a white ostrich feather like this was plucked from the crown of the dead King John of Bohemia by the Prince of Wales and presented to his father.
More examples
- Ostriches run across the open grassland on their powerful legs.
- An ostrich has wings but cannot fly.
- The female ostrich lays her eggs in a shallow nest.
Forms
ostrich · ostriches