ostrich

• n. 鴕鳥；鴕鳥般的人

來自拉丁語ostrica,鴕鳥。因鴕鳥在遇到危險時喜歡把頭紮進沙子裏麵，因此引申詞義逃避現實的人。

ostrich

ostrich: [13] Greek strouthós seems originally to have meant ‘sparrow’. Mégas strouthós ‘great sparrow’ – the understatement of the ancient world – was used for ‘ostrich’, and the ‘ostrich’ was also called strouthokámelos, because of its long camel-like neck. Eventually strouthós came to be used on its own for ‘ostrich’. From it was derived strouthíōn ‘ostrich’, which passed into late Latin as strūthiō (source of English struthious ‘ostrich-like’ [18]).

Combined with Latin avis ‘bird’ (source of English augur, aviary, etc) this produced Vulgar Latin *avistrūthius, which passed into English via Old French ostrusce as ostrich.
=> struthious

ostrich (n.)

early 13c., from Old French ostruce "ostrich" (Modern French autruche) and Medieval Latin ostrica, ostrigius, all from Vulgar Latin avis struthio, from Latin avis "bird" (see aviary) + Late Latin struthio "ostrich," from Greek strouthion "ostrich," from strouthos megale "big sparrow," perhaps from PIE *trozdo- "thrush" (see thrush (n.1)). The Greeks also knew the bird as strouthokamelos "camel-sparrow," for its long neck. Among its proverbial peculiarities are indiscriminate voracity (especially a habit of swallowing iron and stone to aid digestion), want of regard for its eggs, and a tendency to hide its head in the sand when pursued.

Like the Austridge, who hiding her little head, supposeth her great body obscured. [1623, recorded in OED]

Ostriches do put their heads in the sand, but ostrich farmers say they do this in search of something to eat.

1. I've eaten ostrich meat on the continent.

我在歐洲大陸時吃過鴕鳥肉。

來自柯林斯例句

2. An ostrich can kick a man to death.

鴕鳥能把人踢死。

來自柯林斯例句

3. The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes.

那位舞蹈演員戴著粉色鴕鳥毛製作的頭飾.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

4. Ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.

駝鳥是雙腿跑得最快的動物.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

5. The short - distance runner wishes he could run as fast as the ostrich.

這位短跑運動員真希望自己能跑得像駝鳥一樣快.

來自辭典例句