/bus"teuhrd/ , n.
any of several large, chiefly terrestrial and ground-running birds of the family Otididae, of the Old World and Australia, related to the cranes.
[ 1425-75; late ME, appar. b. MF bistarde (OIt bistarda ) and MF oustarde, both avis tarda (Pliny) lit., slow bird, though tarda may be a non-L word, taken erroneously as fem. of tardus ]