ˌēpēˈȯrnə̇s noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek aipys + New Latin -ornis
1. capitalized : a genus (the type of the family Aepyornithidae coextensive with the order Aepyornithiformes of the superorder Palaeognathae) of gigantic ratite birds known only from remains found in Madagascar though believed to have survived into historic times and to have been the source of legends about the roc
2. -es : a bird of the genus Aepyornis or the order Aepyornithiformes