rhea

¹ American  

[ree-uh] / ˈri ə /

noun

1. the ramie plant or fiber.

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Rhea ² American  

[ree-uh] / ˈri ə /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a Titan, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, the wife and sister of Cronus, and the mother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia: identified with Cybele and, by the Romans, with Ops.

2. Astronomy. one of the moons of Saturn.

3. (lowercase) either of two South American, ratite birds, Rhea americana or Pterocnemia pennata, resembling the African ostrich but smaller and having three toes.

4. a female given name.

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-rhea ³ American  

1. variant of -rrhea.

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Rhea ¹ British  

/ ˈrɪə /

noun

1. Roman counterpart: Ops.  Greek myth a Titaness, wife of Cronus and mother of several of the gods, including Zeus: a fertility goddess

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Rhea ² British  

/ ˈrɪə /

noun

1. the second largest satellite of the planet Saturn

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rhea ³ British  

/ ˈrɪə /

noun

1. either of two large fast-running flightless birds, Rhea americana or Pterocnemia pennata , inhabiting the open plains of S South America: order Rheiformes . They are similar to but smaller than the ostrich, having three-toed feet and a completely feathered body See ratite

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Etymology

Origin of rhea¹

First recorded in 1850–55, rhea is from the Assamese word rihā

Origin of Rhea²

First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin Rhea, from Greek Rhéa; further origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Their peer-reviewed paper on rhea will be presented at the International Society for Computational Biology's annual conference, which will take place July 12-16 in Montreal.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2024

Chris was eventually caught when he was spotted in a paddock in Stuston - near Diss - on Saturday afternoon, and the rhea was wrestled into a stable, said Mr Alleyne.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2024

The group took custody of several dozen animals, including a five-month-old, female South American ostrich — or lesser rhea — named Eddy found in the crowded basement.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024

The Tehuelche were innovators, too: Outsiders marveled at their bolas, weighted rope snares they swung and launched from horseback to hunt llamalike guanaco and flightless rhea birds.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 7, 2023

I could have no doubt as to who they were—clearly the ostrich-hunters, as a large cock rhea appeared upon the croup of one of the saddles, and a hen-bird on the other.

From The Finger of Fate A Romance by Reid, Mayne