apterous

[ ap-ter-uhs ]

adjective

Zoology. wingless, as some insects.
Botany. without membranous expansions, as a stem.

Origin of apterous

First recorded in 1765–75, apterous is from the Greek word ápteros wingless. See a-⁶, -pterous

Words Nearby apterous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apterous in a sentence

Fleas are apterous, walk but little, but leap to a height equal to two hundred times that of their own body.
The Book of Curiosities | I. Platts
Those which resemble the perfect insect, except that they are apterous, or not yet furnished with organs of flight.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4) | William Kirby
Male and female larv similar, apterous, naked or covered, active.
An Account of the Insects Noxious to Agriculture and Plants in New Zealand | W. M. Maskell
In the autumn, however, the eggs which are laid give rise in part to winged forms and in part to apterous forms.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4) | Francis Maitland Balfour
It appears to be apterous, and is said in scent and colour to resemble the bed-bug.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. I (of 4) | William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for apterous

apterous

/ (ˈæptərəs) /

adjective

(of insects) without wings, as silverfish and springtails
without winglike expansions, as some plant stems, seeds, and fruits

Origin of apterous

C18: from Greek apteros wingless, from a- 1 + pteron wing

Derived forms of apterous

apterism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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