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• Aepyornis
  Aepyornis

  noun

  an extinct genus of ratite birds, best known from the Pleistocene Epoch of Madagascar, having massive legs and rudimentary wings, and growing to a height of 8 feet (2.4 meters).
• aepyornis
  aepyornis

  noun

  any of the large extinct flightless birds of the genus Aepyornis, remains of which have been found in Madagascar

Aepyornis

American  

[ee-pee-awr-nis] / ˌi piˈɔr nɪs /

noun

1. an extinct genus of ratite birds, best known from the Pleistocene Epoch of Madagascar, having massive legs and rudimentary wings, and growing to a height of 8 feet (2.4 meters).

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aepyornis British  

/ ˌiːpɪˈɔːnɪs /

noun

1. any of the large extinct flightless birds of the genus Aepyornis, remains of which have been found in Madagascar

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Etymology

Origin of Aepyornis

< New Latin (1850) < Greek aipý ( s ) steep, lofty, + órnīs bird

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Aepyornis aepyornis

Just a few thousand years ago, gargantuan fauna roamed the planet, from the gorilla-sized sloth lemur Archaeoindris fontoynontii to the elephant bird Aepyornis maximus.

From Nature ● Dec. 11, 2018

Scholars suspect that Aepyornis titan may have given rise to the legend of a great bird called the roc, which is told in the Arabian Nights.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week the chance that Madagascar could escape World War II seemed as rare as an Aepyornis egg.

From Time Magazine Archive

Aepyornis titan did not become extinct until after the Glacial Ages, which is almost yesterday as geological time goes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hilaire considered the Aepyornis to be of the Ostrich family; Prince C. Buonaparte classed it with the Inepti or Dodos; Duvernay of Valenciennes with aquatic birds!

From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 2 by Henry Yule

Last year a complete egg of an aepyornis maximus, otherwise known as an elephant bird, sold for $130,000 – roughly five times what it would have gone for a decade earlier.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 24, 2019