apteryx

[ ap-tuh-riks ]

/ ˈæp tə rɪks /

noun

kiwi(def 1).

Nearby words

apteral, apterium, apterous, apterygial, apterygote, apteryx, aptitude, aptitude test, aptyalia, apud cell, apuleius

Origin of apteryx

1805–15; < New Latin: the genus name, equivalent to Greek a- a-⁶ + -pteryx, adj. use of ptéryx wing

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

Examples from the Web for apteryx

Bones of Apteryx are also found fossil, but apparently of the same species as the living birds.
Island Life|Alfred Russel Wallace
But with the cassowary, the emu, or the apteryx matters are very different.
Birds in Flight|W. P. Pycraft
The apteryx—or kiwi, as this bird is generally called—is a native of New Zealand, and one of the strangest fowl in the world.
Seven Legs Across the Seas|Samuel Murray
A pollex is wanting, as in the cassowary, emeu and apteryx, while it is impossible to say whether remiges are represented or not.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2|Various

The wing of apteryx, like that of the cassowary, has become extremely reduced.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for apteryx

apteryx

/ (ˈæptərɪks) /

noun

another name for kiwi (def. 1)

Word Origin for apteryx

C19: from New Latin: wingless creature; see apterous

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