Dictionary.com

rhea

[ ree-uh ]
/ ˈri ə /

noun

the ramie plant or fiber.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rhea

First recorded in 1850–55, rhea is from the Assamese word rihā

Words nearby rhea

r.h.b., rhd, Rh disease, rhDNase, rhe, rhea, Rhea Silvia, rhebok, rheda, Rhee, rhegma

Definition for rhea (2 of 3)

Rhea
[ ree-uh ]
/ ˈri ə /

noun

Classical Mythology. a Titan, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, 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.

Origin of Rhea

First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin Rhea, from Greek Rhéa; further origin uncertain

Definition for rhea (3 of 3)

-rhea

variant of -rrhea.
Compare rheo-.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for rhea

British Dictionary definitions for rhea (1 of 3)

rhea
/ (ˈrɪə) /

noun

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

Word Origin for rhea

C19: New Latin; arbitrarily named after Rhea 1

British Dictionary definitions for rhea (2 of 3)

Rhea1
/ (ˈrɪə) /

noun

Greek myth a Titaness, wife of Cronus and mother of several of the gods, including Zeus: a fertility goddessRoman counterpart: Ops

British Dictionary definitions for rhea (3 of 3)

Rhea2
/ (ˈrɪə) /

noun

the second largest satellite of the planet Saturn
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