ostrich

Etymology

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 στρουθιοκάμηλος (strouthiokámēlos), from στρουθός (strouthós, “sparrow”) + κάμηλος (kámēlos, “camel”). Compare Spanish avestruz and Portuguese avestruz.

noun

1. (ornithology) A large flightless bird of the genus Struthio.
   1. The most widespread species of the genus, known as the common ostrich (Struthio camelus).
      The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile. 2013-07-26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects[…]”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32
2. (obsolete) The rhea.
   The Lengua Indians of the Gran Chaco love to hunt the ostrich 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 8, page 245
3. (figurative) One who buries one's head in the sand instead of acknowledging problems.
4. (golf) The hypothetical completion of a hole five strokes under par (a quintuple birdie, quadruple eagle, triple albatross, or double condor).