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