bustard: [15] Bustard (the name of a large game bird now extinct in Britain) is something of a mystery word. Old French had two terms for the bird, bistarde and oustarde, both of which come from Latin avis tarda, literally ‘slow bird’ (Latin tardus gave English tardy [15]). This, according to the Roman writer Pliny, was what the bird was called in Spain.
It has been objected that the bustard can run quite fast, and that the name avis tarda must be some sort of folk-etymological alteration of a non-Latin word; but in fact the bird’s normal gait is a fairly slow and stately walk, so the term is not so far-fetched. The English word is presumably a blend of the two Old French ones, perhaps via an Anglo-Norman *bustarde. => tardy
bustard (n.)
large crane-like bird, mid-15c. (late 14c. as a surname), from Old French bistarde, said to be from Latin avis tarda, but the sense of this ("slow bird") is the opposite of the bird's behavior.
双语例句
1. The sanctuary is also inhabited by other endangered species, including the Arabian gazelle and bustard.
此保护区还居住著一些濒临绝种的物种, 包括阿拉伯瞪羚和波班鸨.
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2. Great bustard ( Otis tarda ) is listed as a first - rating protected bird in China and CITES II.
大鸨 ( Otistarda ) 是国家级保护动物,CITES附录物种.
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3. Artificial incubation and growth observation for the nestlings of Great Bustard ( Otis tarda )
