ratite
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ratite
- /ˈɹætaɪt/
Rhymes with -ætaɪt
Where it comes from
From Latin ratis (“raft”) + -ite; ratites (unlike other birds) lack a keel on their sternum, and rafts are vessels that lack keels.
adjective
-
Pertaining to running, flightless birds with no keels on their sternums (as opposed to carinate).
Against what was probably the general expectation, it became undeniable that New Zealand was indeed the home of huge ratite birds.
Similar: ratitate
noun ratites
-
A member of a diverse group of mostly large, running, flightless birds that lack keels on their sternums, mostly extinct such as the elephant bird and the moa, but including the extant cassowaries, emu, kiwi, ostrich, and rhea; formerly grouped together in the order Struthioniformes, and including the Paleognathae except the tinamous.
Similar: ratite
Translations
Talk about this word "ratite." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ratite. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ratite. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ratite "ratite." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ratite.Cite this
@misc{ratite_2026,
title = {ratite},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ratite},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
