archaeopteryx

American  

[ahr-kee-op-tuh-riks] / ˌɑr kiˈɒp tə rɪks /

noun

1. a reptilelike fossil bird of the genus Archaeopteryx, from the late Jurassic Period, having teeth and a long, feathered, vertebrate tail.

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archaeopteryx British  

/ ˌɑːkɪˈɒptərɪks /

noun

1. any of several extinct primitive birds constituting the genus Archaeopteryx, esp A. lithographica, which occurred in Jurassic times and had teeth, a long tail, well-developed wings, and a body covering of feathers

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archaeopteryx Scientific  

/ är′kē-ŏp′tər-ĭks /

1. An extinct primitive bird of the genus Archaeopteryx of the Jurassic Period, having characteristics of both birds and dinosaurs. Like dinosaurs, it had a long, bony tail, claws at the end of its fingers, and teeth. Like birds it had wings and feathers. Many scientists regard it as evidence that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs.

2. See Note at bird

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Etymology

Origin of archaeopteryx

1855–60; < New Latin < Greek archaio- archaeo- + ptéryx wing

Example Sentences

They additionally point out that the feather comes from the same fossil site as four archaeopteryx specimens later unearthed near Solnhofen, Germany.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2020

What color the rest of archaeopteryx was remains an open question.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2020

Waterhouse paid tribute to Owen by including ancient fauna he had described, such as the archaeopteryx and the palaeotherium.

From Nature • Oct. 23, 2018

They wear dinosaur-decorated clothes, and their flip-flops leave archaeopteryx tracks in their wake.

From Washington Post • Nov. 17, 2016

He was the first to describe the archaeopteryx after its discovery in Bavaria in 1861 and the first to write a formal epitaph for the dodo.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson