emu

See also: Appendix:Variations of "emu"

English

WOTD – 26 January 2019

Etymology 1

An emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae; sense 2)

Probably from Portuguese ema (“(originally) cassowary; giant rhea; (now) ostrich”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈiːmjuː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈim(j)u/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːmjuː

Noun

emu (plural emus)

1. (obsolete) A cassowary (genus Casuarius). [from early 17th c.]
   • 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 London by John Tradescant, London: Printed by John Grismond, and are to be sold by Nathanael Brooke […], →OCLC, pages 1 and 3:

     [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.

   • 1752, John Hill, “CASUARIUS. [The Cassowary.]”, in An History of Animals. […], London: Printed for Thomas Osborne, […], →OCLC, page 482:

     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.

2. A large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius novaehollandiae. [from 18th c.]
   • 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 Birds), pages 59 and 60:

     [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 dogs are thrown out in the purſuit.

   • 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 Wardle, →OCLC, page 176:

     From New Holland the emeu, / With his better moiety, / Has paid a visit to the Zo- / ological Society.

   • 1864 June 4, William Bennett, “Acclimation and Breeding of Emeus (Dromius irroratus, Bartlett) in Surrey”, in Edward Newman, editor, The Zoologist: A Popular Miscellany of Natural History, volume XXII, London: John Van Voorst, […], →OCLC, chapter II:

     I left my young emeus […] just parted from their affectionate father, and not yet fully reconciled to beginning the world on their own account.

   • 1873, Anthony Trollope, “Wool”, in Australia and New Zealand. [...] In Two Volumes, volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, pages 219–220:

     A stranger cannot but remark, throughout the pastoral districts of Australia, how seldom he sees sheep as he travels along. […] It may be that he will also expect emus and kangaroos, and he will generally be disappointed also in regard to them. Kangaroos I certainly have seen in great numbers, though by no means so often as I expected. An emu running wild I never did see. Tame emus round the houses in towns are very common, and of emus’ eggs there is a plethora.

   • 2015, Sankar Chatterjee, “The Avian Revolution Begins”, in The Rise of Birds: 225 Million Years of Evolution, 2nd edition, Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 191:

     Both cassowaries and emus are large, flightless, cursorial birds with diminutive wings. […] Emus, the world's second largest living birds, live in Australia and are the only extant member of the genus Dromaius.

Usage notes

A flock of emus is generally called a mob.

Alternative forms

• emeu (obsolete)

Hyponyms

• (Dromaius novaehollandiae): Kangaroo Island emu (†Dromaius novaehollandiae baudinianus), King Island emu (†Dromaius novaehollandiae minor), Tasmanian emu (†Dromaius novaehollandiae diemenensis) – extinct subspecies

Derived terms

• dwarf emu (†Dromaius novaehollandiae baudinianus)
• emu apple (Kunzea pomifera and Owenia acidula)
• emu berry
• emu bob
• emu bush (Eremophila spp., Polidia spp., Heterodendron oleaefolium, Hakea laurina)
• emu leather
• emu-less
• emu-like
• emu oil
• emu parade
• emu patrol
• Emu Plains
• emu-proof
• emutail
• emu tree (Hakea francisiana)
• Emu Wars
• emuwary
• emu-wren (Stipiturus spp.)

 

Descendants

• → Japanese: エミュー
• → Polish: emu

Translations

Dromaius novaehollandiae

• Afrikaans: emoe (af)
• Alawa: djinaliri
• Anindilyakwa: marluwiya
• Arabic: دُرْمِيس أُسْتُرَالِيّ m (dormīs ʔusturāliyy)
• Armenian: էմու (hy) (ēmu), ավստրալիական ջայլամ (avstraliakan ǰaylam)
• Assamese: ইমু (imu)
• Asturian: emú (ast)
• Bardi: iniini
• Barngarla: warradya
• Belarusian: э́му m (ému)
• Bulgarian: ему (emu)
• Burarra: wurrparn
• Catalan: emú
• Cherokee: ᎡᎳᏗᏝ ᎬᎾ ᎤᏔᎾ (eladitla gvna utana), ᎢᎽ ᎬᎾ ᎤᏔᎾ (imu gvna utana)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鴯鶓／鸸鹋 (zh) (érmiáo)

• Czech: emu (cs) m
• Danish: emu
• Darkinjung: gungurung
• Dutch: emoe (nl) m
• Eastern Arrernte: arleye
• Esperanto: emuo
• Estonian: emu (et)
• Finnish: emu (fi)
• French: émeu (fr) m, émeus (fr) m pl
• Gabi: nguruin
• Galician: emu m
• Gamilaraay: thinawan
• Garawa: kananganja
• German: Emu (de) m
• Gooniyandi: garnanganyja
• Greek: εμού (el) n (emoú)
• Guugu Yimidhirr: burriway, ngunhdhangunhdha (avoidance language)
• Hebrew: אמו
• Hindi: एमू (emū)
• Hungarian: emu (hu)
• Icelandic: emúi m
• Ido: emuo (io)
• Indonesian: emu
• Interlingua: emu
• Irish: éamú m
• Italian: emù (it) m
• Japanese: エミュー (ja) (emyū), 鴯鶓 (ja) (emyū)
• Kala Lagaw Ya: samu
• Kaurna: kardi, taitya, kurdikurdi
• Korean: 에뮤 (emyu)
• Kriol: emiyu, imiyu
• Kunbarlang: marntep
• Lithuanian: emu (lt)
• Malay: emu
• Malayalam: എമു (ml) (emu)
• Maori: īmū
• Martuthunira: jankurna
• Narungga: garrdi
• Navajo: tsídiitsoh ditsʼozígíí
• Ngadjuri: waridji
• Ngalakan: ngurrurndutj
• Ngalkbun: ngurrurdu
• Ngarla: jankurna
• Ngarrindjeri: pinyali, yarli, breki
• Norwegian: emu m
• Nyulnyul: wirnin
• Nyunga: weitj
• Pitjantjatjara: kaḻaya, tjakipiri
• Polish: emu (pl)
• Portuguese: emu (pt) m
• Romanian: emu (ro) m
• Russian: э́му (ru) m (ému)
• Samoan: emeu
• Serbo-Croatian: emu (sh)
• Slovene: emu (sl) m
• Spanish: emú (es) m
• Swedish: emu (sv) c
• Telugu: ఈము (te) (īmu)
• Tiwi: yimiyuwu
• Turkish: emu
• Ukrainian: е́му m (ému)
• Walmajarri: karnanganyja
• Wardaman: gumurrinji
• Warlpiri: karlaya
• Welsh: emiw m, emiwiaid m pl
• Wiradjuri: nguurruuyn, dhinawan (northern dialect)
• Worora: jebarranya
• Yiddish: עמו m (emu)

Further reading

• emu on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Dromaius novaehollandiae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Dromaius novaehollandiae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Etymology 2

From e(lectro)m(agnetic) u(nit).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈiːɛmˌjuː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

emu (plural emu)

1. (physics) Initialism of electromagnetic unit.

   Synonym: EMU

   • 1941, Henry A[ugustus Perkins], edited by E[dward] U[hler] Condon, College Physics (Prentice-Hall Physics Series), New York, N.Y.: Prentice-Hall, →OCLC, page 403:

     A bar magnet NS has poles of strength 144 emu, 5 cm apart.

   • 1962, “Abstracts of Papers Submitted for the Meeting in Houston: November 12–14, 1962”, in Geological Society of America: Abstracts for 1962: Abstracts of Papers Submitted for Six Meetings with which the Society was Associated (Special GSA Papers; no. 73), New York, N.Y.: Geological Society of America, published 1963, →OCLC, page 141:

     Rock Magnetic Properties as Related to a Magnetometer Profile for Serpentines, Sierra Nevada, California / DuBOIS, ROBERT L., Dept. Geology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. / The remanent magnetism of a suite of specimens from a serpentine mass in the Sierra Nevada, California, has a declination of N. 32°E. and an inclination of plus 84°. The average intensity is 80 × 10⁻⁵ emu/cc.

   • 1974, William Berkson, “Maxwell’s Field Theory”, in Fields of Force: The Development of a World View from Faraday to Einstein, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, →ISBN; republished Abingdon, Oxon., New York, N.Y.: Routledge, 2014, →ISBN, page 168:

     The amount of charge named by one emu is that which produces a unit magnetic effect when flowing in a current at one unit length per second.

   • 1976, John Aloysius O’Keefe, Tektites and Their Origin (Developments in Petrology; 4), Amsterdam, New York, N.Y.: Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 109:

     Early investigations showed no detectable magnetic intensity in tektite glass, at the level of about 10⁻⁴ emu/g. (To convert measurements in emu/g to S.I., multiply by 10³.)

   • 2005, Peter Mohn, “Experimental Basis of Ferromagnetism”, in Magnetism in the Solid State: An Introduction (Solid-State Sciences), Berlin: Springer-Verlag, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 39:

     Experimentally the magnetic moment is usually given in units of emu/g, emu/cm³ or emu/mole.

Translations

initialism of electromagnetic unit

Further reading

• centimetre–gram–second system of units on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 3

From emu(lator).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛmjuː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɛmju/

Noun

emu (plural emus)

1. (computing, video games, informal) Clipping of emulator.
   • 2005 February 24, Dane L. Galden, “Could this be used for classic emus on GBA?”, in rec.games.video.classic‎^[2] (Usenet), message-ID <9XkTd.5830$Ba3.2608@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net>:

     Saw this article for playing downloadable games on GBA. It's an official Nintendo product in Japan, and thought it might be useful for Nintendo to release actual emus and some of their older game properties (beyond the $20 classic series).

Translations

clipping of emulator — see also emulator

Further reading

• emulator on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• MEU, Meu, UME, Ume, meu, mue, ume

Czech

Noun

emu m anim

1. emu (large flightless bird native to Australia)

Declension

Also indeclinable.

Declension of emu (masculine animate in -u)

	singular	plural
nominative	emu	emuové
genitive	emua	emuů
dative	emuovi	emuům
accusative	emua	emuy
vocative	emu	emuové
locative	emuovi	emuech
instrumental	emuem	emuy

Esperanto

Verb

emu

1. imperative of emi

Fijian

Etymology

Borrowed from English emu.

Noun

emu

1. emu

Finnish

Etymology

From English emu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈemu/, [ˈe̞mu]
• Rhymes: -emu
• Syllabification^(key): e‧mu

Noun

emu

1. emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae, the only extant species in its genus)

Declension

Inflection of emu (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		emu	emut
genitive		emun	emujen
partitive		emua	emuja
illative		emuun	emuihin
		singular	plural
nominative		emu	emut
accusative	nom.	emu	emut
	gen.	emun
genitive		emun	emujen
partitive		emua	emuja
inessive		emussa	emuissa
elative		emusta	emuista
illative		emuun	emuihin
adessive		emulla	emuilla
ablative		emulta	emuilta
allative		emulle	emuille
essive		emuna	emuina
translative		emuksi	emuiksi
abessive		emutta	emuitta
instructive		—	emuin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of emu (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative emuni emuni accusative nom. emuni emuni gen. emuni genitive emuni emujeni partitive emuani emujani inessive emussani emuissani elative emustani emuistani illative emuuni emuihini adessive emullani emuillani ablative emultani emuiltani allative emulleni emuilleni essive emunani emuinani translative emukseni emuikseni abessive emuttani emuittani instructive — — comitative — emuineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative emusi emusi accusative nom. emusi emusi gen. emusi genitive emusi emujesi partitive emuasi emujasi inessive emussasi emuissasi elative emustasi emuistasi illative emuusi emuihisi adessive emullasi emuillasi ablative emultasi emuiltasi allative emullesi emuillesi essive emunasi emuinasi translative emuksesi emuiksesi abessive emuttasi emuittasi instructive — — comitative — emuinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative emumme emumme accusative nom. emumme emumme gen. emumme genitive emumme emujemme partitive emuamme emujamme inessive emussamme emuissamme elative emustamme emuistamme illative emuumme emuihimme adessive emullamme emuillamme ablative emultamme emuiltamme allative emullemme emuillemme essive emunamme emuinamme translative emuksemme emuiksemme abessive emuttamme emuittamme instructive — — comitative — emuinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative emunne emunne accusative nom. emunne emunne gen. emunne genitive emunne emujenne partitive emuanne emujanne inessive emussanne emuissanne elative emustanne emuistanne illative emuunne emuihinne adessive emullanne emuillanne ablative emultanne emuiltanne allative emullenne emuillenne essive emunanne emuinanne translative emuksenne emuiksenne abessive emuttanne emuittanne instructive — — comitative — emuinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative emunsa emunsa accusative nom. emunsa emunsa gen. emunsa genitive emunsa emujensa partitive emuaan emuansa emujaan emujansa inessive emussaan emussansa emuissaan emuissansa elative emustaan emustansa emuistaan emuistansa illative emuunsa emuihinsa adessive emullaan emullansa emuillaan emuillansa ablative emultaan emultansa emuiltaan emuiltansa allative emulleen emullensa emuilleen emuillensa essive emunaan emunansa emuinaan emuinansa translative emukseen emuksensa emuikseen emuiksensa abessive emuttaan emuttansa emuittaan emuittansa instructive — — comitative — emuineen emuinensa

Further reading

• “emu”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Anagrams

• ume

Galician

Noun

emu m (plural emus)

1. emu

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛmu]
• Hyphenation: e‧mu
• Rhymes: -mu

Noun

emu (plural emuk)

1. emu

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	emu	emuk
accusative	emut	emukat
dative	emunak	emuknak
instrumental	emuval	emukkal
causal-final	emuért	emukért
translative	emuvá	emukká
terminative	emuig	emukig
essive-formal	emuként	emukként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	emuban	emukban
superessive	emun	emukon
adessive	emunál	emuknál
illative	emuba	emukba
sublative	emura	emukra
allative	emuhoz	emukhoz
elative	emuból	emukból
delative	emuról	emukról
ablative	emutól	emuktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	emué	emuké
non-attributive possessive - plural	emuéi	emukéi

Possessive forms of emu
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	emum	emuim
2nd person sing.	emud	emuid
3rd person sing.	emuja	emui
1st person plural	emunk	emuink
2nd person plural	emutok	emuitok
3rd person plural	emujuk	emuik

Further reading

• emu in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• emu in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Japanese

Romanization

emu

1. Rōmaji transcription of えむ
2. Rōmaji transcription of エム

Nupe

Etymology 1

Èmu

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /è.mũ̄/

Noun

èmu (plural èmuzhì)

1. baobab fruit

Derived terms

• muci (“baobab tree”)

See also

• kúka (“baobab leaf”)

Etymology 2

From è- (“nominalizing prefix”) +‎ mu (“to be tasty”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /è.mũ̄/

Noun

èmu

1. tastiness

Polish

emu

Etymology

Borrowed from English emu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.mu/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmu
• Syllabification: e‧mu

Noun

emu n (indeclinable)

1. emu (any ratite of the genus Dromaius)

Further reading

• emu in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• emu in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• emu in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English emu, from Portuguese ema (“rhea”), therefore a reborrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /eˈmu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.mu/, /eˈmu/

• Rhymes: -u

Noun

emu m (plural emus)

1. emu

Related terms

• ema

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French émou or German Emu.

Noun

emu m (plural emu)

1. emu

Declension

Declension of emu

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) emu	emuul	(niște) emu	emui
genitive/dative	(unui) emu	emuului	(unor) emu	emulor
vocative	emuule		emulor

Sakizaya

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə.ˈmu/, [ə.ˈmu]

Noun

emu

1. nian gao (a Chinese New Year's cake made of glutinous rice flour)

Swedish

Noun

emu c

1. an emu

Declension

Declension of emu

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	emu	emus
	definite	emun	emuns
plural	indefinite	emuer	emuers
	definite	emuerna	emuernas

Tooro

Tooro numbers ^(edit)

		10
		1	2  → [a], [b]	10  →
Cardinal: -mu, (in abstract counting) emu     Ordinal: -a okubanza     Adverbial: kubanza, enyalimu, omurundi gumu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-mòì.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /éːmu/

Numeral

emu

1. one
2. inflection of -mu:
   1. class 4
   2. class 9