emu

[ ee-myoo ]

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.

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

Other definitions for EMU (2 of 2)

EMU

Also emu electromagnetic unit.
Aerospace. extravehicular mobility unit.

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

British Dictionary definitions for emu (1 of 3)

emu

/ (ˈiːmjuː) /

noun

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

Origin of emu

C17: changed from Portuguese ema ostrich, from Arabic Na-`amah ostrich

British Dictionary definitions for EMU (2 of 3)

EMU

abbreviation for

European Monetary Union
Economic and Monetary Union

See e.m.u.

British Dictionary definitions for e.m.u. (3 of 3)

e.m.u.

abbreviation for

electromagnetic unit

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

Scientific definitions for EMU

EMU

Abbreviation of electromagnetic unit

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