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Ibis

Birds
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A wading bird with a curved bill, sacred in ancient Egyptian religion.

Detailed Definition
The ibis was linked to Thoth, god of wisdom and writing, making it a symbol of knowledge, mystery, and divine communication in poetry. Its elegant form and historical reverence lend it gravitas in verses exploring memory, legacy, or the sacredness of language. Modern poets use the ibis to reflect on cultural erasure, ecological loss, or the enduring search for meaning across time and civilizations.
Example
Example in poetry:
In ancient Egyptian-inspired poetry, the ibis represents Thoth, god of writing and wisdom; Modern poets use the ibis to mourn lost knowledge or extinct traditions; The curved beak of the ibis in verse evokes the crescent moon and cyclical time; In ecopoetry, the ibis’s wetland habitat symbolizes fragile cultural and ecological memory; Its white plumage against dark water creates striking imagery of clarity amid obscurity.
Additional Notes
The ibis, sacred to Thoth (Egyptian god of writing and wisdom), symbolizes knowledge, mystery, and divine communication. Its curved bill resembles a crescent moon, linking it to cyclical time and intuition. In modern poetry, it often represents lost civilizations or ecological memory (e.g., the endangered glossy ibis). Related concepts: “sacred bird,” “scribal emblem,” “wetland indicator.” Students should explore its role in ancient Egyptian art and its resurgence in conservation poetry.
Also Known As
Glossy Ibis Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus Black Ibis
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