emu

¹ American  

[ee-myoo] / ˈi myu /

noun

1. 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.

---

EMU ² American  

1. Also electromagnetic unit.

2. Aerospace. extravehicular mobility unit.

---

e.m.u. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. electromagnetic unit

---

emu ² British  

/ ˈiːmjuː /

noun

1. 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

---

EMU ³ British  

abbreviation

1. European Monetary Union

2. Economic and Monetary Union

3. See e.m.u.

---

EMU Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of electromagnetic unit

---

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

In addition to turkeys, residents include cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, llamas and emus.

From Los Angeles Times

She knew the Latin phrase “tempus fugit,” which means “time flies,” like a bird—but there were flightless birds, after all: ostriches and emus and dodos and so on.

From Literature

The newspaper reported that the birds had succeeded his pet emu, Toby, who regularly attacked his wife, the actor Cheryl Hines, and was later killed by a mountain lion.

From Los Angeles Times

Every morning, she wondered: “Is today going to be the day that I wake up and kill an emu in my backyard?”

From New York Times

By analyzing data from T. rex remains as well as data from the theropod's closest living bird relatives, including emus and ostriches, Herculano-Houzel concluded that theropod brains had in excess of three billion neurons.

From Salon