Etymology

ratite

R1A1T1I1T1E1

Today it means: Pertaining to running, flightless birds with no keels on their sternums (as opposed to carinate). Full definition →

First used 19th c.
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

From Latin ratis (“raft”) + -ite; ratites (unlike other birds) lack a keel on their sternum, and rafts are vessels that lack keels.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. Pertaining to running, flightless birds with no keels on their sternums (as opposed to carinate).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.