curassow

[ kyoo r-uh-soh, kyoo-ras-oh ]

/ ˈkyʊər əˌsoʊ, kyʊˈræs oʊ /

noun

any of several large, arboreal, gallinaceous birds of the family Cracidae, of South and Central America.

Nearby words

curandero, curare, curariform, curarine, curarize, curassow, curate, curate's egg, curatic, curative, curative dose

Origin of curassow

First recorded in 1675–85; after Curaçao

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curassow

Large birds, like the curassow, and also monkeys, were shot for food.
Theodore Roosevelt|Edmund Lester Pearson
We first visited the tree on which he had set the snare for the curassow.
The Wanderers|W.H.G. Kingston
“Now I must introduce my curassow turkey,” she said, calling another very handsome bird, almost as large as an ordinary turkey.
On the Banks of the Amazon|W.H.G. Kingston
Another type of curassow is the latter-mentioned hocco, a name said to be a native word in Guiana.
The American Egypt|Channing Arnold

“Crass,” (the name we gave to the curassow), soon became a great favourite, and made Quacko and Ara very jealous.
The Wanderers|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for curassow

curassow

/ (ˈkjʊərəˌsəʊ) /

noun

any gallinaceous ground-nesting bird of the family Cracidae, of S North, Central, and South America. Curassows have long legs and tails and, typically, a distinctive crest of curled feathersSee also guan

Word Origin for curassow

C17: anglicized variant of Curaçao (island)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012