curassow

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

/ ˈkyʊər əˌsoʊ, kyʊˈræs oʊ /

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noun

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

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Origin of curassow

First recorded in 1675–85; after Curaçao

Words nearby curassow

curanderismo, curandero, curare, curarine, curarize, curassow, curate, curated, curate's egg, curative, curator

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use curassow in a sentence

“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
“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
Large birds, like the curassow, and also monkeys, were shot for food.
Theodore Roosevelt|Edmund Lester Pearson
Both the red curassow and the globose curassow are fairly common; the natives call them kambūl.
The American Egypt|Channing Arnold

Another type of curassow is the latter-mentioned hocco, a name said to be a native word in Guiana.
The American Egypt|Channing Arnold

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