pterodactyl

American  

[ter-uh-dak-til] / ˌtɛr əˈdæk tɪl /

noun

• pterodactyls
  plural

1. any of a number of genera of flying reptiles of the extinct order Pterosauria, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, having a highly reduced tail and teeth and a birdlike beak.

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pterodactyl British  

/ ˌtɛrəˈdæktɪl /

noun

1. any extinct flying reptile of the genus Pterodactylus and related genera, having membranous wings supported on an elongated fourth digit See also pterosaur

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pterodactyl Scientific  

/ tĕr′ə-dăk′təl /

1. Any of various small, extinct flying reptiles (pterosaurs) of the genus Pterodactylus of the late Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Pterodactyls had long, narrow jaws with sharp teeth, and a wingspan of 1 m (3.3 ft) or less.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pterodactylic
  adjective
• pterodactylid
  adjective
• pterodactyloid
  adjective
• pterodactylous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pterodactyls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pterodactyl

1820–30; < New Latin Pterodactylus genus name, equivalent to Greek pteró ( n ) wing + -daktylos -dactylous

Compare meaning

How does pterodactyl compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• pterosaur vs. pterodactyl

Explanation

Pretend that you are living during the Cretaceous period. Then look up at the sky. That fierce winged creature swooping down on you is a pterodactyl, a flying reptile. The word pterodactyl, pronounced "tear-uh-DACK-til," refers to a now-extinct group of winged reptiles known as pterosaurs. The word comes from the Latin Pterodactylus, the creatures' genus name, which originated in the Greek pteron, meaning “wing,” and daktulos, meaning “finger.” Although technically not a dinosaur, this flying reptile thrived during the same time period is as often seen among dinosaurs in movies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pterodactyl pterodactyls

The term pterodactyl is commonly used for the flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs, although these animals were not dinosaurs themselves.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Both silly and subversive and championing nonconformity, the Pee-wee universe was a trippy place, populated by things such as a talking armchair and a friendly pterodactyl.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 31, 2023

Pterosaurs like the iconic pterodactyl are closely related to birds and other dinosaurs, and as such new discoveries about them regularly excited fans of science.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2023

“There’s nothing like seeing your bird fly out of sight into the Los Angeles metropolis … but returning, screaming like a pterodactyl dinosaur — to find me,” says Quach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2023

The pterodactyl bobbed and scooped up a mouthful of fish.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Quaritch and the Sky People are all massively armed with ultramodern weapons, The Na’vi are armed with spears and arrows and ride to battle against flying gunships on Pandoran pterodactyls.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2022

Pterosaurs, more commonly called pterodactyls, were the first animals with bones to start flying, more than 200 million years ago, long before birds and bats took to the skies.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2022

Also in 2021, scientists cracked the mystery of how pterodactyls were able to swoop down and scoop up large prey without breaking their necks.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2022

They fight for their lives with pterodactyls, see iguanodons at play and watch the tragedies of life among the gigantic dinosaurs.

From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2021

The pterodactyls, Dr. Barlow Sloan’s Dinoguide declared, are a feisty and skittish bunch.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older