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• emu
  emu

  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.
• EMU
  EMU

  Also electromagnetic unit.
• e.m.u.
  e.m.u.

  abbreviation

  electromagnetic unit

emu

¹ American  

[ee-myoo] / ˈi mju /

noun

• emus
  plural

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.

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EMU ² American  

1. Also electromagnetic unit.

2. Aerospace. extravehicular mobility unit.

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EMU ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. European Monetary Union

2. Economic and Monetary Union

3. See e.m.u.

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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

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e.m.u. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. electromagnetic unit

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EMU Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of electromagnetic unit

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• emus
  plural

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

Explanation

An emu is a very large, flightless bird that is only slightly shorter than its close relative, the ostrich. You're likely to see emus if you travel around their native continent of Australia. Emus reign as the biggest bird in Australia, growing to a height of six feet or more as adults. These long-legged birds have soft brown feathers and relatively small wings that they flap as they run (sometimes sprinting at 30 miles per hour), though sadly, they're unable to take flight. Etymologists guess that emu comes from the Portuguese word for "ostrich," ema.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

emu EMU emus

I enjoy eating emu and ostrich, which taste surprisingly like beef.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Colossal Biosciences would again edit the genes of a close living relative, such as the emu or tinamou, and call it a moa.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2025

And in “Edward the Emu,” by Sheena Knowles, an emu who has tired of the zoo tries on life as a seal, a lion and a snake.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024

Officers from Kent Police were alerted and joined in the capture of the emu which a spokesman said had escaped from a residential property.

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2023

He wondered if he would have better luck sleeping in the emu pen.

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli

South Alabama AD Joel Erdmann issued a statement Sunday saying he was disappointed in the postgame conflict, but was grateful that EMU “took ownership” of the confrontation and apologized.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2023

Wetherbee reiterated what EMU coach Chris Creighton said in his postgame news conference, that there is “absolutely no place for this kind of incident” in the football program.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2023

While the Wolverines annually led the FBS in attendance, EMU sat last in consecutive seasons — averaging 4,267 fans per game in 2011, 3,923 in 2012 and 4,051 in 2013.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2023

“We took a stand to maintain and strengthen quality education at EMU, and this agreement moves us forward,” Kirkpatrick said in a statement.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2022

Even though EMU is not a logical beauty, and East Germany still suffers from a wrong policy mix, the gut feeling of EMU - one economy, one means of payment - was admirably correct.

From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Thomas Colignatus

The remains came from both native and introduced animals, including cows, kangaroos, emus, sheep, pigs, dingoes, rabbits, possums, quolls and swamp rats.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

Cacophony filled the humid air: the mad squawking of parrots, the grunts of emus, the occasional roar of a lion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2024

The scientists also noted the shocking range of cat diets, characterizing them as "extreme generalist predators" who will feed off of animals as large as American bullfrogs, emus, green sea turtles and domestic cows.

From Salon ● Dec. 12, 2023

There is even rural “gauchopunk” complete with gaucho androids dreaming of electric emus, conjured by Argentine writer Michel Nieva in a tongue-in-cheek reference to Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”

From New York Times ● Jun. 10, 2023

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 "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood