alula
Americannoun
plural
alulae-
Also called spurious wing. Also called bastard wing. the group of three to six small, rather stiff feathers growing on the first digit, pollex, or thumb of a bird's wing.
-
a membranous lobe at the base of each wing of a dipterous insect.
noun
Other Word Forms
- alular adjective
Etymology
Origin of alula
1765–75; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin āl ( a ) wing + -ula -ule
Vocabulary lists containing alula
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They have a movable feather called an "alula," which usually rests against the leading edge.
From Time Magazine Archive
We make our way among a density of exotic plants, an endangered Hawaiian plant called alula, a cacao tree, conifers and vines that trap insects.
From Time Magazine Archive
Then it opens a slot by moving the alula.
From Time Magazine Archive
Alulet: Diptera: the lobe at basal posterior part of wing; = alar appendage; posterior lobe: and has been used as = alula.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
Axillary lobe: the sclerite covering the base of the wing in Diptera; see also alula and posterior lobe.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
