rhea
[ree-uh]
- the ramie plant or fiber.
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Origin of rhea
First recorded in 1850–55, rhea is from the Assamese word rihā
Rhea
[ree-uh]
- Classical Mythology. a Titan, the daughter of Uranus and Gaea, the wife and sister of Cronus, and the mother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia: identified with Cybele and, by the Romans, with Ops.
- Astronomy. one of the moons of Saturn.
- (lowercase) either of two South American, ratite birds, Rhea americana or Pterocnemia pennata, resembling the African ostrich but smaller and having three toes.
- a female given name.
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-rhea
- variant of -rrhea.
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Compare rheo-.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for rhea
Contemporary Examples
He's been with the model Rhea Durham since 2001, and the two were married in 2009.
Historical Examples
Poseidon was the son of Kronos and Rhea, and the brother of Zeus.
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and RomeE.M. Berens
Demeter (from Ge-meter, earth-mother) was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.
Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and RomeE.M. Berens
The rhea is easily tamed, and is constantly seen about the huts of the Patagonians.
The Western WorldW.H.G. Kingston
Maternal Rhea treasures in her breast All marbles: purple, green, and white.
Life ImmovableKostes Palamas
We recognised the bird at once as the Rhea Americana, or American ostrich.
On the Banks of the AmazonW.H.G. Kingston
rhea
- either of two large fast-running flightless birds, Rhea americana or Pterocnemia pennata, inhabiting the open plains of S South America: order Rheiformes . They are similar to but smaller than the ostrich, having three-toed feet and a completely feathered bodySee ratite
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Word Origin
C19: New Latin; arbitrarily named after Rhea 1
Rhea1
- Greek myth a Titaness, wife of Cronus and mother of several of the gods, including Zeus: a fertility goddessRoman counterpart: Ops
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Rhea2
- the second largest satellite of the planet Saturn
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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
Word Origin and History for rhea
n.
South American ostrich, 1801, Modern Latin genus name, for unknown reasons from Greek Rhea, name of a titaness, mother of Zeus, a name of unknown origin. As a moon of Saturn, discovered 1672.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper