Phrase guide

elephant bird

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of the very large extinct flightless birds that make up the genera Aepyornis and Mullerornis within family Aepyornithidae, and lived in Madagascar until the 17th or 18th century; especially †Aepyornis maximus.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

huge (to 9 ft.) extinct flightless bird of Madagascar

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aepyornis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ratite, ratite bird, flightless bird

History

Etymology

Apparently from Marco Polo's description of the legendary roc as being capable of seizing a small elephant.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: ocell elefant — extinct flightless bird
  • Chinese Mandarin: 隆鳥 /隆鸟 (lóngniǎo) — extinct flightless bird
  • Finnish: norsulintu — extinct flightless bird
  • French: oiseau-éléphant — extinct flightless bird
  • German: Elefantenvogel — extinct flightless bird
  • Korean: 코끼리새 (kokkirisae) — extinct flightless bird
  • Spanish: ave elefante — extinct flightless bird
  • Vietnamese: chim voi — extinct flightless bird