avian

UK/ˈeɪvi.ən/US/ˈeɪvi.ən/

adjectiveC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,095 of 15,258leans written

Avian means to do with birds. Avian flu, avian species, an avian disease that jumps to people.

It belongs to science and to news about disease rather than to ordinary talk. Avian is the adjective that goes with aviary and aviation, all from the Latin for bird.

Definitions of avian

1adjectiveavianTo do with birds.C2
“An avian species was blamed within a week.”

avian is a quality.

Where it comes from

Latin avis, a bird; the same root gives aviary and aviation, since flight was named after the birds that already had it.

Latin
avis — bird
English, today
avian

From Latin avis (“bird”) ian.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

avian in the wild

Evidence suggests that all dinosaurs were egg-laying, and that nest-building was a trait shared by many dinosaurs, both avian and non-avian.
Dinosaur
As well as human viruses, GISRS monitors avian, swine, and other influenza viruses which could potentially infect humans.
Influenza A virus
Symptoms of avian influenza vary according to both the strain of virus underlying the infection, and on the species of bird or mammal affected.
Avian influenza
Humans typically become infected with avian influenza after prolonged close contact with infected birds or non-human mammals.
Avian influenza
The first four genera contain viruses that cause influenza in birds (see also avian influenza) and mammals, including humans.
Orthomyxoviridae

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the avis family

ostrich aviary

avian — used about once every 41,009 pages · #14,095 · point at the bar for the others

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