apterium

[ ap-teer-ee-uh m ]

/ æpˈtɪər i əm /

noun, plural ap·te·ri·a [ap-teer-ee-uh] /æpˈtɪər i ə/. Ornithology.

one of the featherless portions of the skin of a bird.

Nearby words

apsu, apsyrtus, apt, apt., apteral, apterium, apterous, apterygial, apterygote, apteryx, aptitude

Compare pteryla.

Origin of apterium

From New Latin, dating back to 1865–70; see origin at a-⁶, pter-, -ium

Related forms

ap·te·ri·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019