585: emu Jul 15, 2016

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Words themselves have no intrinsic value or meaning, which is reason there is more than only one language, as well as the fact that a word can take on different meanings, and meanings can take on different words as time goes on. Even though the word 'emu' has always denoted large flightless birds since its creation, it has not always meant the same one. The word was originally the Portuguese 'ema', but referred to the cassowary of New Guinea. For a time afterwards, the word referred to the rhea of South America. Starting only in the 19th century was 'emu' in its current sense. 

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