megapode

[ meg-uh-pohd ]

/ ˈmɛg əˌpoʊd /

noun

any of several large-footed, short-winged gallinaceous Australasian birds of the family Megapodiidae, typically building a compostlike mound of decaying vegetation as an incubator for their eggs.

Nearby words

megaphone, megaphonic, megaphyll, megapixel, megaplex, megapode, megapolis, megapolitan, megaproject, megara, megarectum

Origin of megapode

First recorded in 1855–60, megapode is from the New Latin word Megapodius genus name. See mega-, -pod

Also called brush turkey, moundbird, mound builder, scrub fowl.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for megapode

Even worse, in high priestly sacrilege, he encouraged Jerry to attack a megapode hen in the act of laying.
Jerry of the Islands|Jack London
The only place where the domestication of the megapode is recorded is the island of Savo in the Solomons.
In the Andamans and Nicobars|C. Boden Kloss
During the season, he lived almost entirely on megapode eggs.
Jerry of the Islands|Jack London
The birds were a species of megapode, which are found chiefly in Australia and Borneo and the intermediate islands.
The Rival Crusoes|W.H.G. Kingston

In truth, he cared no more for megapode meat than for any other meat.
Jerry of the Islands|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for megapode

megapode

/ (ˈmɛɡəˌpəʊd) /

noun

any ground-living gallinaceous bird of the family Megapodiidae, of Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands. Their eggs incubate in mounds of sand, rotting vegetation, etc, by natural heatAlso called: mound-builder See also brush turkey, mallee fowl

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