Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Rhea americana

Rhea americana

9.9
A large South American bird like an ostrich that runs fast, cannot fly, and has three toes
  • noun
  • /ˈriːə əˈmɛrɪkənə/
translation icon : Rhea americana
  • Unlike ostriches, Rhea americana have three toes on each foot.

Examples

  • The Rhea americana is the largest bird native to South America.

  • Look at that Rhea americana running across the field!

  • Farmers in Argentina sometimes keep Rhea americana for their eggs and feathers.

  • The Rhea americana is often found in open grasslands.

  • Farmers in Argentina sometimes keep Rhea americana for their eggs and feathers.

  • The Rhea americana is the largest bird native to South America.

  • The Rhea americana is often found in open grasslands.

Surface Forms

Rhea americana singular
Rhea americanas plural

Morphology

rhea + americana

The binomial combines 'rhea' (a flightless bird) with 'americana', whose form signals 'of the Americas', so the overall sense 'a rhea from the Americas' is largely derivable from the parts. However, 'americana' is a Latin/adjectival form not common in everyday English and may be unfamiliar to an average B1 learner who knows only basic English words, so the relation is only partially predictable without cross-linguistic or taxonomic knowledge.

Etymology

Rhea americana takes its name from two parts: Rhea, the name of a Greek mother goddess, and americana, meaning 'from America'. So picture a big, motherly bird that 'cannot fly' and lives in South America, and that's why the name refers to this large flightless bird.