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• emu
  emu

  noun

  a large, flightless, ratite bird, Emu (Dromaius ) novaehollandiae, of Australia, resembling the ostrich but smaller and having a feathered head and neck and rudimentary wings.
• EMU
  EMU

  Also electromagnetic unit.
• e.m.u.
  e.m.u.

  abbreviation

  electromagnetic unit

emu

¹ American  

[ee-myoo] / ˈi mju /

noun

• emus
  plural

1. a large, flightless, ratite bird, Emu (Dromaius ) novaehollandiae, of Australia, resembling the ostrich but smaller and having a feathered head and neck and rudimentary wings.

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EMU ² American  

1. Also electromagnetic unit.

2. Aerospace. extravehicular mobility unit.

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e.m.u. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. electromagnetic unit

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EMU ² British  

abbreviation

1. European Monetary Union

2. Economic and Monetary Union

3. See e.m.u.

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emu ³ British  

/ ˈiːmjuː /

noun

1. a large Australian flightless bird, Dromaius novaehollandiae, similar to the ostrich but with three-toed feet and grey or brown plumage: order Casuariiformes See also ratite

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EMU Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of electromagnetic unit

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• emus
  plural

Etymology

Origin of emu

1605–15; earlier emeu (in earliest E source emia, eme ), ultimately < Portuguese ema, attested in 1541 as a name for the cassowary (further origin obscure); the replacement of -a by -eu, etc., is unexplained

Explanation

An emu is a very large, flightless bird that is only slightly shorter than its close relative, the ostrich. You're likely to see emus if you travel around their native continent of Australia. Emus reign as the biggest bird in Australia, growing to a height of six feet or more as adults. These long-legged birds have soft brown feathers and relatively small wings that they flap as they run (sometimes sprinting at 30 miles per hour), though sadly, they're unable to take flight. Etymologists guess that emu comes from the Portuguese word for "ostrich," ema.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

emu EMU emus

Colossal Biosciences would again edit the genes of a close living relative, such as the emu or tinamou, and call it a moa.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2025

And in “Edward the Emu,” by Sheena Knowles, an emu who has tired of the zoo tries on life as a seal, a lion and a snake.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024

Officers from Kent Police were alerted and joined in the capture of the emu which a spokesman said had escaped from a residential property.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2023

The family was selected for a cursory search, and agents spotted Marek’s hair clip and a new pair of earrings made with parrot and emu feathers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2023

I could also name some rarer animals: chinchilla, mink, crocodile, ostrich, emu, beaver, leopard.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

He apologized to the EMU community, the South Alabama team and its fans.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2023

South Alabama AD Joel Erdmann issued a statement Sunday saying he was disappointed in the postgame conflict, but was grateful that EMU “took ownership” of the confrontation and apologized.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2023

EMU followed with Jaylon Jackson’s 89-yard kickoff return.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2022

A personal foul on the first play gave ASU its initial first down of the game at the EMU 7 as time ran down in the first quarter.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 17, 2022

Critics point out,   however, that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and they   point to public opinion polls that continue to show a majority of   Britons opposed to the euro.

From The 2004 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

In flightless birds, the number varies widely -- penguins have more than 40, while emus have none.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2024

The scientists also noted the shocking range of cat diets, characterizing them as "extreme generalist predators" who will feed off of animals as large as American bullfrogs, emus, green sea turtles and domestic cows.

From Salon ● Dec. 12, 2023

We also visited OstrichLand USA, giggling as we took turns holding out pans of food for eager emus and ostriches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2023

There is even rural “gauchopunk” complete with gaucho androids dreaming of electric emus, conjured by Argentine writer Michel Nieva in a tongue-in-cheek reference to Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”

From New York Times ● Jun. 10, 2023

Well, except for the emus and the ostriches, but they seemed more like bears anyway, if you asked Zeke.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness