cassowary
Americannoun
-
cassowaries
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cassowary
1605–15; by uncertain mediation < Central Moluccan kasuwari, kasuwali
Explanation
A cassowary is a large flightless bird that's related to an emu. Cassowaries are native to parts of Australia and New Guinea. Though the cassowary is shorter than its leggy emu relatives, these birds are actually heavier — second only to the ostrich. Cassowaries are brightly colored and have a distinctive casque, or helmet, on top of their heads, which some biologists suspect helps the birds amplify a deep "boom" sound they often make. They're also incredibly shy, and difficult to spot in the wild. Cassowary is from the Papuan kasu weri, "horned head."
Vocabulary lists containing cassowary
Australia and New Zealand - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Australia and New Zealand - Middle School and High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Birds, Birds, Birds, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A southern cassowary chick, one of the world's largest and deadliest birds, has been successfully hatched for the first time at a bird park in the Cotswolds.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2024
In an upcoming study, he posits that the style of horns adorning Tyrannosaurus’s skull are distinct to each species, like the contrasting crests differentiating cassowary species.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
Among the animals they studied are ostriches, cassowary birds and wombats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2021
They still raise cassowary chicks from eggs taken out of wild nests.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 28, 2021
The figure is a fairly accurate representation of an immature cassowary.
From Essays on early ornithology and kindred subjects by McClymont, James Roxburgh
"Birds like chickens, wrens and cassowaries have low values and tend not to fly very far," Baldwin said in explaining the index values.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2024
A black bear, a tortoise, meerkats, otters, elephants, hogs, hippos, jaguars, cassowaries, snow leopards, flamingos, piranhas, peccaries and howler monkeys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2021
Those settlers found rainforests stalked by large, irritable, razor-footed cassowaries — and eventually worked out how to put them to use.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 28, 2021
"You can't move 800 animals including water buffaloes, ostriches and cassowaries," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2020
Or it might be birds that caught my attention: pink flamingos or black swans or one-wattled cassowaries, or something smaller, silver diamond doves, Cape glossy starlings, peach-faced lovebirds, Nanday conures, orange-fronted parakeets.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
