emu
/ˈiːmjuː/US/ˈim(j)u/
emu noun: a large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius novaehollandiae. Also the initialism of electromagnetic unit.
Noun (1)
emu (plural emus)
- A large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius novaehollandiae.
- [page 59] The Emu, though not ſo as large as the oſtrich, is only ſecond to it in magnitude. It is by much the largeſt bird in the New Continent; and is generally found to be ſix feet high, meaſuring from its head to the ground. […] [page 60] [T]he emu runs with ſuch a ſwiftneſs, that the fleeteſt...1791, Oliver Goldsmith, An History of the Earth, and Animated Nature. […], new edition, volume V, London: […] F[rancis] Wingrave, successor to Mr. [John] Nourse, […], →OCLC, part I (An History of...
- From New Holland the emeu, / With his better moiety, / Has paid a visit to the Zo- / ological Society.1829, “The Progress of Zoology”, in T[homas] Crofton Croker, editor, The Christmas Box. An Annual Present to Young Persons, London: John Ebers and Co. 27 Old Bond Street; Philadelphia, Pa.: Thomas...
- A cassowary (genus Casuarius).
- [page 1] 1. EGGES. Caſſawary, or Emeu, vide Aldrov: p. 542. Harveum, G.A. p. 61. […] [page 3] 4. CLAWES. […] A legge and claw of the Caſſawary or Emeu that dyed at S. James’s, Weſtminſter.1656, John Tradescant [the elder], “Some Kindes of Birds Their Egges, Beaks, Feathers, Clawes, and Spurres”, in Musæum Tradescantianum: Or, A Collection of Rarities. Preserved at South-Lambeth neer...
- It is a native both of the Eaſt and Weſt Indies; and all the writers on birds have deſscribed it. Aldrovand [Ulisse Aldrovandi] calls it Emeu ſive Eme; Boulius, Emeu vulgo Caſoarius; and others, Caſſuarus.1752, John Hill, “CASUARIUS. [The Cassowary.]”, in An History of Animals. […], London: Printed for Thomas Osborne, […], →OCLC, page 482
Proper noun (1) capitalized: EMU
EMU
- Initialism of European Monetary Union.
- Initialism of Eastern Mennonite University.
Noun (2) capitalized: EMU
EMU (countable and uncountable, plural EMUs)
- Initialism of English metric unit (“1/360,000-th of a centimetre, or, 1/914400-th of an inch”).
- Initialism of electric multiple unit.
- The Government has thrown a lifeline to Alstom's Derby Works, with an offer of an order for ten Class 345 nine-car electric multiple units (EMUs) for the Elizabeth line - but only if the 'price is right'.2024 May 1, Mel Holley, “Network News: Elizabeth line '345s' offer a lifeline for Derby Works”, in RAIL, number 1008, page 8
- Alternative form of emu or e.m.u.; Initialism of electromagnetic unit.
- Initialism of engine management unit.
- Initialism of extravehicular mobility unit (“spacesuit”).
- Initialism of economic and monetary union.
Proper noun (2) capitalized: Emu
Emu
- A constellation or asterism from Australian aborigine cultures, a dark constellation pattern formed by an arrangement of dark nebulae in the sky, blotting out background stars, appearing akin to the emu (giant bird of Australia).
- A locality in the Shire of Loddon, Shire of Central Goldfields and the Shire of Northern Grampians, north western Victoria, Australia
Also used as
emu is also the initialism of electromagnetic unit.
emu is also the clipping of emulator.
emu meaning in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and Telugu
emu in Hindi
- Dromaius novaehollandiae
- एमू emū
emu in Marathi
- ईमू, एमू
emu in Bengali
- এমু, ইমু
emu in Telugu
- Dromaius novaehollandiae
- ఈము īmu
More languagesFewer languages
- emu in Malayalam
- എമു emu
- emu in Kannada
- ಎಮು
- emu in Punjabi
- ਈਮੂ
- emu in Odia
- ଏମୁ, ଇମୁ
- emu in Assamese
- ইমু imu
- emu in Nepali
- ईमु
- emu in Arabic
- دُرْمِيس أُسْتُرَالِيّ dormīs ʔusturāliyy
- emu in Malay
- emu
- emu in Indonesian
- emu
Examples of emu in a sentence
- [page 59] The Emu, though not ſo as large as the oſtrich, is only ſecond to it in magnitude.1791, Oliver Goldsmith, An History of the Earth, and Animated Nature. […], new edition, volume V, London: […] F[rancis] Wingrave, successor...
- Tame emus round the houses in towns are very common, and of emus’ eggs there is a plethora.1873, Anthony Trollope, “Wool”, in Australia and New Zealand. … In Two Volumes, volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, pages...
Forms of emu
| plural | emus |
|---|---|
| plural | emu |
| plural | EMUs |
| alternative form (obsolete) | emeu |
Origin of emu
Probably from Portuguese ema (“(originally) cassowary; giant rhea; (now) ostrich”).
From e(lectro)m(agnetic) u(nit).
From emu(lator).
Words formed from emu
- emuscene
- dwarf emu
- emu apple
- emu berry
- emu bob
- emu bush
- Emu Creek
- Emu Heights
- emu leather
- emu-less
- emu-like
- emu oil
- emu parade
- emu patrol
- Emu Plains
- emu-proof
- Emu Swamp
- emutail
- emu tree
- Emu Wars
- emuwary
- emu-wren
Phrases with emu
Words that rhyme with emu
Questions about emu
- What does emu mean?
- Emu means a large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius novaehollandiae.
- What is emu in Hindi?
- Emu in Hindi is एमू (emū). See Emu meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use emu in a sentence?
- [page 59] The Emu, though not ſo as large as the oſtrich, is only ſecond to it in magnitude.
- What part of speech is emu?
- Emu can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce emu?
- Emu is pronounced /ˈiːmjuː/ (UK).
- What is the plural of emu?
- The plural of emu is emus.
Words near emu in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: emu (page history and authors); EMU (page history and authors); Emu (page history and authors); emu (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emu (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emu (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emu (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emu (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); emu (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-emu.ogg, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-emu (init).wav.
Cite this entry: “emu.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/emu. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.