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dipterous

[ dip-ter-uhs ]
/ ˈdɪp tər əs /
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adjective
Entomology. belonging or pertaining to the order Diptera, comprising the houseflies, mosquitoes, and gnats, characterized by a single, anterior pair of membranous wings with the posterior pair reduced to small, knobbed structures.
Botany. having two winglike appendages, as seeds or stems.
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Origin of dipterous

1765–75; <New Latin dipterus<Greek dípteros;see Diptera, -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM dipterous

non·dip·ter·ous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dipterous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dipterous

dipterous
/ (ˈdɪptərəs) /

adjective
Also: dipteran of, relating to, or belonging to the Diptera, a large order of insects having a single pair of wings and sucking or piercing mouthparts. The group includes flies, mosquitoes, craneflies, and midges
botany having two winglike partsa dipterous seed

Word Origin for dipterous

C18: from New Latin, from Greek dipteros, from di- two + pteros wing
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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