top definitions
related content
examples
british
medical
scientific

avian

[ ey-vee-uh n ]

/ ˈeɪ vi ən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR avian ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to birds.

Origin of avian

First recorded in 1865–70; avi- + -an

Words nearby avian

avf, avg., avgas, avgolemono, avi-, avian, avian flu, avian influenza, avian leukosis-sarcoma complex, avian pneumoencephalitis, avianize

Example sentences from the Web for avian

“Vicious pecking, avian hysteria, mysterious deaths, and even cannibalism” are the results, he writes.

The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity |William O’Connor |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
You were commended after the avian flu pandemic for your ability to forge such close friendships with international leaders.

Meet America’s New Top Ebola Fighter |Abby Haglage |September 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
These men are like avian pied pipers" who lure problem birds out of the trees and "send them spiraling over the sloughs.

Great Weekend Reads |The Daily Beast |February 12, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
This is a worrisome phenomenon, especially as major health threats like avian and swine flu grow in importance.

U.S. Debunks Autism Myth |Adam Winkler |March 13, 2010 |DAILY BEAST

Now comes the perfect storm of avian, swine, and human flu, just in time for a national health plan.

Obama as Muhammad Ali |Kathleen Parker |April 29, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
In this ridge all the layers coalesce, and I therefore take it to be equivalent to the primitive streak of the avian blastoderm.

The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 |Francis Maitland Balfour
He evidently subserves some useful purpose in the avian community, or he would not be treated with so much consideration.

Our Bird Comrades |Leander S. (Leander Sylvester) Keyser
It has seldom been my fortune to listen to a finer pot-pourri of avian music.

Birds of the Rockies |Leander Sylvester Keyser
Therefore, the term obturator internus is inappropriate for the avian muscle and must be abandoned.

Variation in the Muscles and Nerves of the Leg in |E. Bruce Holmes
It must not be supposed, however, that the syrinx does not perform an important function in the production of avian melody.

Our Bird Comrades |Leander S. (Leander Sylvester) Keyser

British Dictionary definitions for avian

avian

/ (ˈeɪvɪən) /

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a bird

Word Origin for avian

C19: from Latin avis bird

Medical definitions for avian

avian

[ ā′vē-ən ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or characteristic of birds.

Scientific definitions for avian

avian

[ ā′vē-ən ]

Relating to birds.