emu

[ ee-myoo ]
/ ˈi myu /

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.

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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

Words nearby emu

empyrean, empyreuma, emr, ems, emt, emu, emu bush, emu oil, emu parade, emu-bob, emu-wren

Definition 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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for emu

British Dictionary definitions for emu (1 of 2)

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 CasuariiformesSee also ratite

Word Origin for emu

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

British Dictionary definitions for emu (2 of 2)

EMU

abbreviation for

European Monetary Union
Economic and Monetary Union
See e.m.u.
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
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.