'Ratitae' definitions:
Definition of 'Ratitae'
(from WordNet)
noun
Used in former classifications to include all ratite bird orders [syn: Ratitae, superorder Ratitae]
Definition of 'Ratitae'
From: GCIDE
- Ratitae \Ra*ti"tae\ (r[.a]*t[imac]"t[-e]), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. ratis a raft; cf. L. ratitus marked with the figure of a raft.] (Zool.) An order of birds in which the wings are small, rudimentary, or absent, and the breastbone is destitute of a keel. The ostrich, emu, moa, and apteryx are examples. [1913 Webster]