ostrich

[aw-strich, os-trich]

noun

1. a large, two-toed, swift-footed flightless bird, Struthio camelus, indigenous to Africa and Arabia, domesticated for its plumage: the largest of living birds.

2. (not used scientifically) a rhea.

3. a person who attempts to ignore unpleasant facts or situations.

ostrich

/ ˈɒstrɪtʃ /

noun

1. a fast-running flightless African bird, Struthio camelus, that is the largest living bird, with stout two-toed feet and dark feathers, except on the naked head, neck, and legs: order Struthioniformes See ratite

2. another name for rhea

3. a person who refuses to recognize the truth, reality, etc: a reference to the ostrich's supposed habit of burying its head in the sand

Other Word Forms

• ostrichlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ostrich¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English ostrice, ostriche, from Old French ostrusce (compare French autruche, ) from unattested Vulgar Latin avistrūthius, for Latin avis “bird” + Late Latin strūthiō, from Late Greek strouthíōn; struthious

Word History and Origins

Origin of ostrich¹

C13: from Old French ostrice, from Latin avis bird + Late Latin struthio ostrich, from Greek strouthion

Example Sentences

She could not fly, for ostriches are flightless birds, but she could run like the wind, and gave the children ostrich rides that were thrillingly fast.

Read more on Literature

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.

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Penelope was stunned, for before her stood what was indisputably an ostrich.

Read more on Literature

The farmers have argued that the ostriches should be spared and used instead for scientific research, noting those that remain had survived the avian flu outbreak that killed 69 of the flock.

Read more on BBC

He has turned more than half his farm over to a wildlife reserve where ostriches, deer and giant rodents called capybaras roam, and on the remainder practices sustainable farming.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

Where does ostrich come from?

A funny-looking animal with a funny origin story is the ostrich. When you look at an ostrich, with its small head, big, long legs, and large, fluffy body, the first thing you think of is a tiny, adorable sparrow, right? Wait, what?As it happens, that's what the ancient Greeks thought, apparently. The word ostrich ultimately comes from the Greek word strouthion, which comes from the Greek expression for "big sparrow." That's right, it seems the Greeks thought the ostrich was just a really big, weird sparrow.Funnily enough, the ancient Greeks also called the ostrich strouthokamelos, which means "camel-sparrow," because the bird has a long neck like a camel.The roots of these other words may get a rise—of laughter or surprise—out of you. Run on over to our roundup of them at "Weird Word Origins That Will Make Your Family Laugh."