rhea

¹ American  

[ree-uh] / ˈri ə /

noun

1. the ramie plant or fiber.

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Rhea ² American  

[ree-uh] / ˈri ə /

noun

1. 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.

2. Astronomy.  one of the moons of Saturn.

3. (lowercase)  either of two South American, ratite birds, Rhea americana or Pterocnemia pennata, resembling the African ostrich but smaller and having three toes.

4. a female given name.

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-rhea ³ American  

1. variant of -rrhea.

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Rhea ¹ British  

/ ˈrɪə /

noun

1. Roman counterpart: Ops.  Greek myth a Titaness, wife of Cronus and mother of several of the gods, including Zeus: a fertility goddess

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Rhea ² British  

/ ˈrɪə /

noun

1. the second largest satellite of the planet Saturn

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rhea ³ British  

/ ˈrɪə /

noun

1. 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 body See ratite

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Etymology

Origin of rhea¹

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

Origin of Rhea²

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

Example Sentences

Ellen has also interrupted Blake’s TikToks to stare curiously at the phone — as has Princess, an affectionate deer, and Regina, a curious rhea.

From Washington Post

"In the Aysen region there are only two valleys where the rheas live and they are very important to the well-being of the Patagonian steppe."

From Reuters

Several rhea birds that have been running around a housing estate will be sent to an animal reserve when captured, police said.

From BBC

Its rich wildlife includes 11,620 plant species and more than 200 species of mammals, including jaguars, anteaters, rhea birds and tapirs.

From The Guardian

The rhea is a South American bird that can’t fly and is distantly related to emus and ostriches.

From The Guardian