Aepyornis

See also: aepyornis

Translingual

Alternative forms

• Æpyornis

Etymology

From Ancient Greek αἰπύς (aipús, “high”) and ὄρνις (órnis, “bird”).

Noun

†Aepyornis m

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Aepyornithidae – elephant birds, large, extinct birds of Madagascar.
   • 1919 June 6, WM. C. Bradbury, “Some notes on the egg of Aepyornis maximus”, in The Condor‎^[1], volume 21 (in English), page 100:

     Calculations in displacement show the Aepyornis egg to be equivalent to each of the following number of eggs of modern species […]

   • 1994, Gerald Durrell, The Aye-Aye and I‎^[2] (in English), page 6:

     Although enormous, the Aepyornis was incapable of treating elephants in this cavalier fashion - even baby elephants - since, like the ostrich, it could not fly.

   • 2014, Nicolae Sfetcu, The Birds World‎^[3] (in English):

     Whilst it is often believed that the extinction of the Aepyornis was an effect of human actions, a study in 2000, by a team of archaeologists from Sheffield University and Royal Holloway University in the UK, suggests otherwise.

References

• "aepyornis." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002.

Further reading

• Aepyornis on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Aepyornis on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Aepyornis on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

English

Etymology

From scientific Latin Aepyornis (genus name).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /iːpɪˈɔːnɪs/

Noun

Aepyornis (plural Aepyornises)

1. An elephant bird of the genus Aepyornis.
   • 1894, H. G. Wells, Aepyornis Island:

     I wonder how long it is since these Aepyornises really lived.

   • 2000, Errol Fuller, Extinct Birds, Oxford, page 35:

     For how long the Aepyornis survived the arrival of Europeans was, and remains, a mystery.