Adjacent Words

Ibis definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

IBIS, n. [Gr. and L.] A fowl of the genus Tantalus,and grallic order, a native of Egypt. The bill is long, subulated,and somewhat crooked; the face naked,and the feet have four toes palmated at the base. This fowl was much valued by the Egyptians for destroying serpents. It is said by Bruce not now to inhabit Egypt, but to be found in Abyssinia.
The ibis of the Egyptians is a species of the genus Scolopax. It was anciently venerated either because it devoured serpents, or because the marking of its plumage resembled one of the phases of the moon,or because it appeared in Egypt with the rising of the Nile.
The ibis is common in Egypt during the overflowing of the Nile.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: wading birds of warm regions having long slender down- curved bills

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural ibis or ibises) Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, from Egyptian hbw Date: 14th century any of various chiefly tropical or subtropical wading birds (family Threskiornithidae) related to the herons but distinguished by a long slender downwardly curved bill

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. ibises) any wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae with a curved bill, long neck, and long legs, and nesting in colonies. Phrases and idioms: sacred ibis an ibis, Threskiornis aethiopicus, native to Africa and Madagascar, venerated by the ancient Egyptians. Etymology: ME f. L f. Gk

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ibis I"bis, n. [L. ibis, Gr. ?; of Egyptian origin.] (Zo["o]l.) Any bird of the genus Ibis and several allied genera, of the family Ibid[ae], inhabiting both the Old World and the New. Numerous species are known. They are large, wading birds, having a long, curved beak, and feed largely on reptiles. Note: The sacred ibis of the ancient Egyptians (Ibis [AE]thiopica) has the head and neck black, without feathers. The plumage of the body and wings is white, except the tertiaries, which are lengthened and form a dark purple plume. In ancient times this bird was extensively domesticated in Egypt, but it is now seldom seen so far north. The glossy ibis (Plegadis autumnalis), which is widely distributed both in the Old World and the New, has the head and neck feathered, except between the eyes and bill; the scarlet ibis (Guara rubra) and the white ibis (G. alba) inhabit the West Indies and South America, and are rarely found in the United States. The wood ibis (Tantalus loculator) of America belongs to the Stork family (Ciconid[ae]). See Wood ibis.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

i'-bis. In Isa 34:11, yanshoph, which is rendered "owl," apparently indicates the sacred ibis (Ibis religiosa). The Septuagint gives eibis and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) ibis; the Revised Version, margin "bittern."

See OWL.