ostrich
n. countablen. a very large bird from Africa that has a long neck and long legs. It can run very fast but it cannot fly.
n. a large, flightless ratite bird of the genus Struthio, native to Africa and characterised by its long neck and legs. It is the largest living species of bird and is capable of reaching running speeds of up to 70 km/h.
The ostrich buried its head in the sand.
During our safari in South Africa, we saw a wild ostrich running across the plains at incredible speed.
While the ostrich is primarily known for its flightless nature and powerful kick, it also produces the largest eggs of any living land animal, which have been used by humans for millennia.
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.