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MUSCOVITE Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

Portuguese name of an Australian bird?

Hi,

Emu -
Some dictionaries claim the bird's name originated from the Portuguese "ema" (= ostrich?).
How come this famous Australian bird has a Portuguese name?

mus-te
  

Top answer

term=emu And some further details. s=t The earliest reference is in 1541 when the Portuguese were great explorers and contending with the Spanish for global markets. Many new animals and birds were given names by European explorers.

— AlpheccaStars

  • term=emu And some further details.
  • s=t The earliest reference is in 1541 when the Portuguese were great explorers and contending with the Spanish for global markets.
  • Many new animals and birds were given names by European explorers.
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1 Answers
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Here is some information on the etymology of ostrich:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=ostrich

and emu
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=emu

And some further details.
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