(of flightless birds) having a breastbone that lacks a keel for the attachment of flight muscles
2.
of or denoting the flightless birds, formerly classified as a group (the Ratitae), that have a flat breastbone, feathers lacking vanes, and reduced wings
noun
3.
a bird, such as an ostrich, kiwi, or rhea, that belongs to this group; a flightless bird
Word origin
C19: from Latin ratis raft
ratite in American English
(ˈrætaɪt)
adjective
1.
designating a former group (Ratitae) of large, flightless birds of various orders having a flatbreastbone without the keel-like ridge of flying birds
noun
2.
any bird with such a breastbone, as the cassowary, ostrich, or kiwi
Word origin
< L ratitus, marked with the figure of a raft < ratis, raft, prob. < IE base *rēt-, *rōt-, beam > rood
Examples of 'ratite' in a sentence
ratite
The big birds of the title are the ratites, or members of the ostrich family.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Less than 200 years ago, the ratites (named after the Latin for having a flattened sternum, a result of not needing powerful flying muscles) were still thriving.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
Characteristically mixing scholarly inquiries with fun, he considers the great ratite enigmas: why don't they fly or sing, or have proper feathers?