Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or characteristic of birds.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to Aves, or birds; ornithic.
  • noun A member of the class Aves; a bird: as, “this ancient avian,” Coues.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or instrument to birds.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Characteristic of or pertaining to birds, or to bird-like or flying creatures.
  • noun A bird.
  • noun A bird-like or flying creature.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective pertaining to or characteristic of birds

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin avis, bird; see awi- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin avis, bird + -ian

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Examples

  • There†™ s even an avian from a gaseous tiny-giant.

    365 tomorrows » 2008 » January : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2008

  • What we call avian flu, the virus that struck in Asia in 2003, is incredibly deadly but not too contagious; most of the people killed were those who had direct contact with animals.

    The Next Pandemic 2009

  • For avian-flu watchers, the pandemic of 1918 shows what a new outbreak could mean for the world, but a study published by the National Academy of Sciences suggests that it may also offer lessons on how to contain avian flu.

    Primary Sources 2007

  • For avian-flu watchers, the pandemic of 1918 shows what a new outbreak could mean for the world, but a study published by the National Academy of Sciences suggests that it may also offer lessons on how to contain avian flu.

    Primary Sources 2007

  • For avian-flu watchers, the pandemic of 1918 shows what a new outbreak could mean for the world, but a study published by the National Academy of Sciences suggests that it may also offer lessons on how to contain avian flu.

    Primary Sources 2007

  • Meanwhile, the other China remains uncooperative in avian flu surveillance. posted by sydney on

    Medpundit 2006

  • Meanwhile, the other China remains uncooperative in avian flu surveillance. posted by sydney on

    Archive 2006-11-01 2006

  • (Except, of course, during quarantines in avian-flu season.)

    Countdown to a Meltdown 2005

  • "However, additional abnormalities we discovered in avian flu patients — including fluid in the space surrounding the lungs, enlarged lymph nodes and cavities forming in the lung tissue-were absent in patients with SARS."

    Medpundit 2005

  • "However, additional abnormalities we discovered in avian flu patients — including fluid in the space surrounding the lungs, enlarged lymph nodes and cavities forming in the lung tissue-were absent in patients with SARS."

    Archive 2005-12-01 2005

Comments

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  • The definition says it's an adjective, but four of the first five examples show it being used as a noun.

    March 11, 2010