sacred ibis

noun

an African ibis, Threskiornis aethiopica, having a black, naked head and neck and white and black plumage, venerated by the ancient Egyptians.

Origin of sacred ibis

First recorded in 1830–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Here the sacred ibis or the sacred bull symbolises the soul.
History Of Egypt From 330 B.C. To The Present Time, Volume 12 (of 12) | S. Rappoport
Duck, native companion, white crane, and sacred ibis abound here.
Explorations in Australia, The Journals of John McDouall Stuart | John McDouall Stuart
The native companion, the emu, and the sacred ibis are on this creek.
Explorations in Australia, The Journals of John McDouall Stuart | John McDouall Stuart
There was likewise the sacred ibis of Egypt, and one of the Stymphalides which Hercules shot in his sixth labor.
A Virtuoso's Collection (From "Mosses From An Old Manse") | Nathaniel Hawthorne
To shoot thee there—would be as impious as to have killed a sacred ibis stalking in the shade of an Egyptian temple.
Recreations of Christopher North, Volume I (of 2) | John Wilson

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