*ratitae*

‖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 ]