Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ostrich instruction

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.02 in modern English

Syllables: os-trich in-struc-tion
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An instruction to jurors telling them they may equate wilful ignorance with actual knowledge.

Example Sentences

"Based on this evidence, we concluded an ostrich instruction was appropriate because a jury could reasonably conclude that he had deliberately avoided the truth."

Etymology

After the supposed habit of the ostrich of burying its head in the sand to avoid danger by not seeing it.

Inflected Forms

ostrich instructions (plural)

Questions

What does ostrich instruction mean?: An instruction to jurors telling them they may equate wilful ignorance with actual knowledge.
Where does ostrich instruction come from?: After the supposed habit of the ostrich of burying its head in the sand to avoid danger by not seeing it.

How to pronounce ostrich instruction

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