bustard
pronunciation
How to pronounce bustard in British English:
UK [ˈbʌstəd]
How to pronounce bustard in American English:
US [ˈbʌstərd]
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- Noun:
- large heavy-bodied chiefly terrestrial game bird capable of powerful swift flight; classified with wading birds but frequents grassy steppes
Word Origin
- bustard
- bustard: [15] Bustard (the name of a large game bird now extinct in Britain) is something of a mystery word. Old French had two terms for the bird, bistarde and oustarde, both of which come from Latin avis tarda, literally ‘slow bird’ (Latin tardus gave English tardy [15]). This, according to the Roman writer Pliny, was what the bird was called in Spain.It has been objected that the bustard can run quite fast, and that the name avis tarda must be some sort of folk-etymological alteration of a non-Latin word; but in fact the bird’s normal gait is a fairly slow and stately walk, so the term is not so far-fetched. The English word is presumably a blend of the two Old French ones, perhaps via an Anglo-Norman *bustarde.=> tardy
- bustard (n.)
- large crane-like bird, mid-15c. (late 14c. as a surname), from Old French bistarde, said to be from Latin avis tarda, but the sense of this ("slow bird") is the opposite of the bird's behavior.
Example
- 1. Rarely seen on the wing , the great indian bustard is an impressive sight .
- 2. First successful reproduction of bustard in haerbin zoo .
- 3. You don 't know you 're such a selfish bustard !
- 4. Vegetation structure and function of reproductive habitats of mcqueen 's bustard in zhungeer basin .