ostrich
- 01 A2 Elementary
a very large African bird with a long neck and long legs that can run fast but cannot fly.
a large, flightless ratite bird of the genus Struthio, native to Africa and characterized by its long neck and legs.
Simple“The ostrich ran across the grass at an amazing speed.”
In context“While the ostrich is incapable of flight, its powerful legs allow it to reach speeds of up to seventy kilometres per hour when threatened.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
someone who refuses to face a difficult or unpleasant situation by pretending it does not exist.
a person who avoids facing a difficult situation or unpleasant truth, based on the myth that the bird buries its head in the sand.
Simple“Stop being such an ostrich and look at these unpaid bills.”
In context“The CEO was accused of acting like an ostrich, ignoring the clear signs of a market downturn until it was too late to pivot.”
SynonymsescapistAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
a very rare score in golf where a player finishes a hole five strokes under par.
a hypothetical score of five strokes under par on a single hole.
Simple“An ostrich is so rare that most professional golfers have never seen one.”
In context“While an albatross is rare enough, the theoretical ostrich remains a statistical anomaly that almost never occurs in professional tournament play.”
From Middle English ostrich, ostriche, ostryche, ostrige, borrowed from Anglo-Norman ostrige and Old French ostruce, from Vulgar Latin *austruthio, from Latin avis (“bird”) + strūthiō (“ostrich”), from Ancient Greek στρουθίων (strouthíōn), or shortened from strūthiocamēlus, from Ancient Greek στρουθοκᾰ́μηλος (strouthokắmēlos), from στρουθός (strouthós, “sparrow”) + κάμηλος (kámēlos, “camel”). Compare Spanish avestruz and Portuguese avestruz.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.