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tinamou

tinamou

9.9
A ground bird from South America with a heavy body and small wings
  • noun
  • /ˈtɪnəˌmu/
translation icon : tinamú
  • While hiking in the Amazon, we spotted a tinamou hiding among the foliage.

Examples

  • During our trip to South America, we were excited to see a tinamou in its natural habitat.

  • The tinamou is known for its unique call that can echo through the forest.

  • It is a partridgelike bird better known by its Carib name, the tinamou.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

partridge
vstinamou
1 7.2

A large heavy bird from South America that lives on the ground

notes small wings as a defining physical trait

Surface Forms

tinamou singular
tinamous plural

Etymology

The word tinamou comes from a Native South American name that reached English through Spanish as tinamú. Locals used this word for the shy, heavy-bodied ground bird, so the English name now refers to that South American game bird.