| 释义 |
os·trich
I. \ˈästri]ch, ˈȯs-, -rē] sometimes ]j\ noun
(-es)
Etymology: Middle English ostriche, from Old French ostrusce, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin avis struthio, from Latin avis bird + Late Latin struthio ostrich — more at aviary, struthio
1.
a. : a swift-footed flightless ratite bird of the genus Struthio having a downy neck and head, a body covered with soft feathers, thighs nearly bare, two-toed feet, and valuable wing and tail plumes for which it has been domesticated: as
(1) : an ostrich (S. camelus) of the more arid parts of Africa and Arabia that is the largest of existing birds attaining a height of six or eight feet and a weight of 300 lbs.
(2) : an ostrich (S. c. australis) of southern Africa
(3) : an ostrich (S. c. molybdophanes) of eastern Africa
b. : rhea
2. [so called from a popular belief that the ostrich when pursued hides his head and believes himself to be unseen] : a person whose behavior is thought to resemble that ascribed to the ostrich : one having qualities or habits suggesting an ostrich
< tried to play ostrich, pretended not to see — B.H.Williams >
< between the positions of the alarmist and the ostrich is a broad middle ground — Scientific Monthly >
II. adjective
: of, relating to, or resembling an ostrich : ostrichlike
< overcoming the traditional ostrich attitude of the public — Newsweek >
< the uphill fight against … ostrich isolationism — W.H.Hale >
III. intransitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-es)
: to hide one's head : deliberately avoid seeing, recognizing, or understanding |