Bustards

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of large, primarily ground-dwelling bird belonging to the family Otididae, often characterized by their long legs and elaborate courtship displays
2. They are known for their large size and can be found in open plains and grasslands across Europe, Asia, and Africa
3. This group of birds exhibits various species, which are often distinguished by their unique mating behaviors and vocalizations

Etymology: Bustards are large, heavy ground birds, and the name they go by in English was once a joke about their speed. The bird was called "avis tarda" in Latin, meaning "slow bird," and that label passed through Old French, where it split into two forms, "bistarde" and "oustarde." An Anglo-Norman blend of these two forms gave Middle English "bustarde," the source of the modern word. The label was a misnomer. Bustards are fast runners, able to outpace many predators on open ground, so the Latin name described nothing about how the bird actually moved. Speakers kept the name anyway, and the word carried the mismatch down through centuries of use. "Bustards" is simply the plural form, referring to more than one of these birds.